I,''i' 



.'.X 

-i^: 




Book ^"B- ^-3- 



AN APOSTLE OF THE NORTH 




BlsIIOP BOMIA^ 
From a photograph taken in 1905 



AN APOSTLE 
OF THE NORTH 

MEMOIRS 

OF THE RIGHT REVEREND 

WILLIAM CARPENTER BOMPAS, D.D. 

First Bishop of Athabasca, 1 874-1 884 
First Bishop of Mackenzie River ^ 1 884-1 891 
First Bishop of Selkirk {Yukon), 1 891 -1 906 



H. A. CODY, B.A. 

Rector of Christ Churchy White horse, T.T., Canada 



WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY THE 

MOST REV. S. P. MATHESON, D.D. 

ARCHBISHOP OF RUPERT'S LAND 



NEW YORK 

E. P. BUTTON AND COMPANY 

31 West Twenty-Third Streei 

1908 






"The unexpressive man whose life expressed so much." 

James Russell Lowell. 

" I know your great Bishop Bompas, and I tell you that the Apostles 
are living yet." 

Bishop Whipple. 



\o 



K 



^ 



^ 



INTRODUCTION 

It has been a great joy to me to learn that a life of 
my dear friend, Bishop Bompas, is being prepared 
for publication. Quite apart from the pleasure 
which the perusal of the record of his life will afford 
to a large circle of friends, it is, I consider, in the 
interests of missions that the Christian public should 
know something more of the heroic work of that 
great " Apostle of the North." That work was 
carried on in the seclusion of a prolonged isolation 
in the wilds of a land which was entirely shut out, 
except at rare intervals, from communication with 
the rest of the world. The Bishoj) loved to have it 
so. He had no care to speak to galleries or to come 
to the front. On the contrary, he retired before an 
approaching civilization, and when he saw it coming 
he retreated into " regions beyond." 

His first episcopate covered what is now com- 
prised in the districts of Athabasca, Mackenzie 

River, and Yukon. When the first subdivision took 

vii 



INTRODUCTION 

place, and the diocese o£ Athabasca was formed out 
of his jurisdiction in 1883, he selected, not the part 
most accessible to civilization, but the northern 
portion, and became Bishop of Mackenzie River. 
When, subsequently, another subdivision took place, 
he gave up Mackenzie River, retreated again farther 
North, and assumed charge of the distant Yukon. 

This " hiding of self " was typical of the man. 
His life was " hid with Christ in God," and he hid 
the activities of it in an unselfish shrinking from the 
world's gaze. Some of us thought that in this latter 
he made a mistake, and he was frequently urged to 
give us the help and inspiration of his presence at 
our Synods once in three years at least. We longed 
to see and show " our hero." But it was of no 
avail. His unvarying answer was, " You can do 
without me at your meetings. My work is with my 
Indians." 

As a consequence of this self-imposed isolation, 

the work of Bishop Bompas was little known to the 

general public outside of those who were near 

enough to see it. I rejoice, therefore, that we are 

to be privileged to have placed before us in this 

biography a short record of his work, and I pray 

that its story of simple devotion may appeal to some 

hearts, and draw from them, while the harvest still 

viii 



INTRODUCTION 

is great and the labourers few, the self-surrendering 
cry, " Here am I ; send me." 

No matter how vivid the story is made, it will be 
hard to portray the real greatness of the man. In 
order even measurably to appreciate William 
Carpenter Bompas and realize his personality, so 
simple and yet so great, it was necessary to see him 
and hear his self- effacing words. After we write 
our best about him, we have to recognize the 
inadequacy of verbal description, and are con- 
strained to exclaim, " Quantum mutatus ab illo !" 



S. P. RUPERT'S LAND. 



Bishop's Court, Winnipeg, 
January^ 1908, 



IX 



PREFACE 

It has been the custom in all ages for people to 
ascribe to their heroes wonderful accomplishments 
and deeds of daring. The further removed in time 
and place, the greater the glamour. 

There is something similar to this in reference 
to the life of Bishop Bompas. So long did he live 
apart from the bustle of civilization, and so little 
did he speak of his own achievements, that people 
have loved to weave around his life the garment 
of romance. Time, instead of lessening, has only 
increased this disposition, and some of the stories 
related have no foundation whatever. 

In the following pages every endeavour has been 
made to adhere strictly to facts, and to record 
nothing that is not well authenticated. 

The Bishop kept no journal of his many wander- 
ings, and of his numerous hardships and dangers he 
seldom spoke. When he did refer to them it was 

with the utmost brevity, as in a letter to England, 

xi 



CONTENTS 

CHAPTER PAGE 

I. THE VOLUNTEER (1834-1865) - - - 19 

II. FORWARD TO THE FRONT (1865) - - - 32 

III. THE EXPLORATION OF THE NORTH-WEST - - 42 

IV. THE father's BUSINESS (1865-1870) - - 53 
V. THE COUNTRY AND ITS INHABITANTS - - 81 

VI. AMONG THE CHILDREN OF THE COLD (1870) - 107 

VII. SOWING BESIDE MANY WATERS (1870-1873) - 126 

VIII. HOME AND HONOURS (1873-1874) - - - 143 

IX. THE LONG OUTWARD VOYAGE (1874) - - 156 

X. BISHOP OF ATHABASCA (1874-1876)- - - 166 

XI. A SYNOD IN THE WILD (1876) - - - 179 

Xn. A RACE WITH WINTER (1877-1878)- - - 190 

XIIL ONWARD AND UPWARD (1878-1884) - - 200 

XIV. BISHOP OF MACKENZIE RIVER DIOCESE (1884-1891) 226 

XV. BEYOND THE GREAT MOUNTAINS (1891-1896) - 253 

XVL THE FLOOD (1896-1900) - - - . 273 

XV 



CONTENTS 

CHAPTER PAGE 

XVII. "FAINT YET PURSUING" (1901-1906) - - 289 

XVIII. LIGHT AT EVENTIDE (1906) - - - 310 

XIX. THE STUDENT . - . , . 336 

XX. "NORTHERN LIGHTS ON THE BIBLE" - - 350 

XXI. RESULTS OF MISSIONS IN THE NORTH-WEST - 365 

INDEX ..-_.. 379 



XVI 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 

FIG. PAGE 

1. BISHOP BOMPAS, FROM A PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN IN 

1905 - - - - - - frontispiece 

2. WILLIAM CARPENTER BOMPAS, IN EARLY LIEE - 26 

3. CANOE-TRAVELLING IN NORTH-WEST CANADA - - 48 

4. AN INDIAN SUMMER CAMP AT PEEL RIVER - - 58 

5. DOG SLEDGE IN NORTH-WESTERN CANADA - - 66 

6. FEEDING THE DOGS - - - - - 72 

7. DIOCESES OF MACKENZIE RIVER, SELKIRK (YUKON), 

AND ATHABASCA - - - - - 82 

8. MILES CANON ON THE YUKON RIVER - - - 86 

9. PRINCIPAL STREET OF MOOSEHIDE, AN INDIAN VILLAGE 90 

10. AN OLD INDIAN DESERTED BY HIS PEOPLE - - 94 

11. A HEATHEN INDIAN CHIEF WITH THE WOODEN MASKS 

WORN ON DIFFERENT OCCASIONS - - - 98 

12. A SNOW-HOUSE MADE ON THE MARCH - - 102 

13. AN ESKIMO BRIDE ON HER WEDDING-DAY - - 110 

14. BIG CHIEF AND HIS WIVES - - - - 120 

15. INDIAN DANCERS - - - - - 134 

16. TROUT-SPEARERS BRINGING SUPPLIES FOR A MISSION- 

STATION -----. 162 

17. AN INDIAN CAMP, WITH A WOMAN HOLDING A CHILD 

IN THE PECULIAR INDIAN CRADLE - - - 204 

18. MRS. BOMPAS, IN WINTER DRESS - - - 210 

19. WINTER TRAVELLING — A MISSIONARY'S INDIAN HELPER 214 

20. AN INDIAN ENCAMPMENT - - . . 220 

21. AN INDIAN CAMP IN WINTER - - - . 226 

xvii B 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 

Fla. PAGE 

22. DOG TEAM AT A MISSION STATION - - - 230 

23. A OREE WOMAN ..... 234 

24. INDIANS RELIEVED WITH GIFTS OF CLOTHING AT A 

MISSION-STATION ----- 238 

25. A DOG TEAM — FIFTY DEGREES BELOW ZERO - - 238 

26. BRINGING THE MAIL IN A HARD WINTER - - 244 

27. AN INDIAN VILLAGE IN ALASKA - - - 254 

28. A WINTER SCENE IN THE NORTH-WEST - - 260 

29. MRS. BOMPAS ------ 264 

30. AN INDIAN VILLAGE WITH TOTEM POLES - - 274 

31. THE BISHOP AND MRS. BOMPAS AND AN INDIAN GIRL 290 

32. THE MISSION SCHOOL AT CARCROSS - - - 300 

33. BISHOP BOMPAS ..... 306 

34. CARCROSS, THE BISHOP'S HOUSE, ST. SAVIOUR'S CHURCH, 

AND THE MISSION SCHOOL - - - - 310 

35. CHURCH BELL AT CONRAD - - - - 314 

36. HAULING SUPPLIES TO CONRAD - - - 314 

37. FUNERAL OF ELLEN, DAUGHTER OF THE CHIEF OF THE 

FORTY MILE INDIANS - - - - 318 

38. THE BODY OF BISHOP BOMPAS TAKEN IN A BOAT 

FROM THE CHURCH TO THE GRAVEYARD - - 322 

39. THE GRAVE OF BISHOP BOMPAS AT CARCROSS - 326 

40. THE bishop's HOUSE AT CARCROSS - - - 330 

41. THE BODY OF CHIEF ISAAC'S SON BROUGHT IN A BOAT 

FROM DAWSON TO MOOSEHIDE FOR BURIAL - 368 

42. THE BURIAL OF THE SON OF CHIEF ISAAC AT MOOSE- 

HIDE - . - . . . 372 



XVlll 



AN APOSTLE OF THE NORTH 

CHAPTER I 
THE VOLUNTEER 

(1834-1865) 

" Here am I ; send me." 

IsA. vi, 8. 

A MASTER was touching the living keys with subtle 
power in a crowded building on May 1, 1865, at 
St. Bride's, London, England. He had travelled a 
long way to attend the anniversary of the Church 
Missionary Society, and was preaching the sermon 
which was destined to bear so much fruit. 

Bishop Anderson, late of Rupert's Land, was the 
bearer of a great message to the Church in England. 
He had much to tell of the vastness of Canada, and 
the great regions where the children of the wild 
lived and died without the knowledge of Christ. 
He told of a lonely mission -station on the mighty 
Yukon River, where a soldier of the cross, the 
Rev. Robert McDonald, with health fast failing, 
was standing bravely at his post of duty till some 

19 " B 2 



THE VOLUNTEER 

one should relieve him. What thoughts must have 
surged through his mind as he looked on the many 
upturned faces before him ! Who was there among 
those listeners willing to consecrate his life to the 
Master's work ? Lifting up his voice, the Bishop 
uttered these words, which have become so 
memorable : 

" Shall no one come forward to take up the 
standard of the Lord as it falls from his hands, and 
to occupy the ground ?" 

The service ended, the clergy retired, and the 
congregation began to disperse. But there was 
one whose heart had been deeply touched by the 
speaker's words, and, walking at once into the 
vestry, a Lincolnshire curate, in the prime of life, 
offered to go to Canada to relieve the missionary at 
Fort Yukon. 

William Carpenter Bompas, this young volun- 
teer, was, born at 11, Park Road, Regent's Park, 
London, on January 20, 1834. He was the fourth 
son of Charles Carpenter Bompas, Serjeant-at-Law, 
one of the most eminent advocates of his day, and 
leader of the Western Circuit, and of Mary Steele, 
daughter of Mr. Joseph Tomkins, of Broughton, 
Hants. Serjeant Bompas, it is said, was the 
original of Charles Dickens's celebrated character 
" Serjeant Buzfuz " in the " Pickwick Papers." 

The Bompas family is of French extraction, and 
the name still exists in the West of France, but it 
is believed that in the seventeenth century members 
of the family owned land in Gloucestershire and 

20 



THE VOLUNTEER 

Worcestershire. We find the name spelled in dif- 
ferent ways : Bonpar, Bonpart, and de Bonpas in 
Languedoc, Provence, and near Caen in Normandy, 
of which last one writer says, " They bear the 
coat of three lions rampant." There is a tradition 
that the motto " C'est iin Bonpas " was given 
on the field of Crecy to an ancestor, who was 
knighted by Edward the Black Prince for his valour 
in the fight. A bystander remarked, " C'est un 
Bonpas," and the knight replied that he would take 
that for his motto. The great-grandfather of 
Bishop Bompas was lord of the manor of Longden 
Heath, in Worcestershire, and was descended 
from the Gwinnetts of Gloucestershire. There 
are records of an Edward Bompas who sailed, 
in 1623, in the ship Fortune^ which followed the 
Mayflower^ for America, and received a grant of 
land in the new country, where many of his 
descendants still reside. The family on the 
mother's side was partly Royalist and partly 
Puritan. One member is known to have been 
private secretary to Henrietta Maria, and was 
hanged by the Parliamentarians for aiding Charles I. ; 
another, at one time, was secretary to Hampden. 

On February 29, 1844, Serjeant Bompas died 
very suddenly, leaving a widow and eight children, 
five sons and three daughters, in poor circum- 
stances. The eldest son, Charles, a lovable char- 
acter, but of delicate constitution, died in 1847. 
The second son, George, who had been intended 
for the Bar, was articled to a firm of City solicitors, 

21 



THE VOLUNTEER 

with whom he worked for fifty-nine years, retiring 
as senior partner in 1903, and died in May, 1905. To 
his continued liberality the Dioceses of Mackenzie 
River and Selkirk (Yukon) have been much in- 
debted. Joseph, the third son, emigrated to Canada, 
where he died. William and Henry, the two youngest 
sons, were educated by Mr. Elliott, a distinguished 
graduate of Cambridge University. Henry, after 
obtaining a gold medal at the London University, 
proceeded to St. John's College, Cambridge, where 
he became Fifth Wrangler. After a short period 
employed in tuition, he was called to the Bar, and 
became, like his father, leader of the Western 
Circuit. He continued to practise until 1896, 
when he accepted the County Court Judgeship of 
Bradford Circuit. 

William, in early youth, showed most plainly 
those characteristics which marked his whole life. 
He was a shy boy, owing partly, no doubt, to 
private tuition at home, which deprived him to a 
large extent of the society of other boys. Cricket, 
football, or such games, he did not play, his chief 
pleasure being walking, and sketching churches and 
other buildings that he encountered in his rambles. 
Gardening he was fond of, and the knowledge thus 
gained stood him in good stead years later when 
planning for the mission-farms in his northern 
diocese. 

The influence of a religious home made a deep 
and lasting impression upon him. His parents were 
earnest Christians, belonging to the Baptist de- 

22 



THE VOLUNTEER 

nomination. Sunday was strictly observed, the 
father making it a firm rule never to read briefs 
or hold consultations on the Day of Rest. Bible 
reading, too, was carefully observed. Serjeant 
Bompas was a man of liberal views, allowed his 
children to indulge in harmless amusements, and 
occasionally permitted them to attend the theatre 
and to play cards, if not for money. 

William from childhood was of a deeply religious 
nature, and at the age of sixteen was baptized by 
immersion, on a profession of his faith, by the 
Hon. and Rev. Baptist Noel. This step caused 
his mother great joy, and after her death the 
following was found among her many papers : 

" July 7, 1850. — ^This day I would record the 
mercy which has rendered it one of peculiar blessing 
and happiness. The favour and presence of God 
has been manifested to us again during the past 
week, and I have enjoyed the best earthly happi- 
ness in seeing my dear and dutiful son W. devote 
himself unreservedly to the service of his Saviour. 
Having conscientiously decided on baptism by 
immersion, he was publicly baptized on the 5th 
by Mr. Baptist Noel, at his chapel in John Street, 
and was at the same time admitted as member 
of Mr. Stratten's church, and to-day I have had the 
privilege of partaking with him of that ordinance 
which I trust will be most profitable to us both." 

At this time William was attending the small 
day-school kept by Mr. Elliott, and of him the 
latter wrote : 

23 



THE VOLUNTEER 

" I never had a pupil who made such acquisitions 
of knowledge in so short a time ; his attainments 
in mathematics and classics are far beyond the 
majority of youths at his age, and would warrant 
anyone conversant with the state of education in 
the Universities in predicting a brilliant career for 
him, should he ever have that path open to him. I 
think, however, that the development of his mind 
is still more remarkable than the amount of his 
knowledge." 

But a University career was not practicable, and 
William was therefore articled in 1852 to the same 
firm of solicitors with whom his brother George 
was working. At the expiration of his five years 
of service he transferred himself to anotlier City firm, 
Messrs. Ashurst, Morris, and Company, with whom 
he remained about two years. While here a catas- 
trophe occurred in the failure of a great company, 
involving ruin to unnumbered families. The harrow- 
ing spectacle of the poorer shareholders who brought 
their claims into court, having lost their all without 
remedy, was a terrible strain upon the young man's 
nervous system, which had been weakened by a 
severe ilhiess but a short time before. This, 
together with strenuous labour, brought on a 
second breakdown, and early in 1858 he was 
forced to give up work altogether. He declared 
that it took him three months to learn to do 
nothing. During his year of inaction the Greek 
Testament was his constant companion. Change 
of scene became necessary, and he spent some time 

24 



THE VOLUNTEER 

at his mother's home, Broughton, Hants, and Liter, 
with his sister, visited the Normandy coast. 

" The summer after his illness," writes his 
brother. Judge Bompas, " we went on a walking- 
tour to Scotland, and one evening it got dark before 
we had reached our destination, and we had to 
sleep out in the mountains with no shelter, and 
amidst frequent showers of rain. William, though 
in weak health, was perfectly fearless, and in great 
spirits, repeating part of Macaulay's ' Lays ' and 
other poems for much of the night." 

As his strength returned, his mind reverted 
more and more to his early desire of entering the 
ministry. Leaving the communion of his early 
associations, he decided to seek ordination in the 
Church of England, and in 1858 was confirmed by 
the Bishop of London at St. Mary's, Bryanston 
Square. His remarkable linguistic ability enabled 
him soon to add by private study a good knowledge 
of Hebrew to that of Latin and Greek, which he 
already possessed. 

In 1859 he was accepted by Dr. Jackson, the 
Bishop of Lincoln, as a literate candidate for Holy 
Orders, and was ordained deacon by him at the 
Advent ordination the same year, and appointed 
curate to the Rev. H. Owen, rector of Trusthorpe 
and Sutton-in-the-Marsh. 

This first charge was a trying experience. The 
parish of Sutton was a wild district, with a rough 
and primitive population, and most of the men had 
been smugglers in former times. No school was 

25 



THE VOLUNTEER 

established, and there had been no resident clergy- 
man since the time of the Reformation. Mr. 
Bompas at once began a great work among the 
children, gathering them into his own house, and 
teaching them, at first by himself, and later with 
the help of his sister and a girl from a neighbour- 
ing village. By his care for the children, and by 
the unfailing sympathy shown in his visits to his 
parishioners, he succeeded in winning their gratitude 
and confidence. His plan for the erection of a 
school was at first strongly opposed by some of the 
farmers, who were unwilling to give land for the 
purpose. But Mr. Bompas, with that tact and 
gentleness which marked all his dealings, at length 
overcame the opposition, and when he left at the 
end of two years the building was completed and 
opened. 

" I can well remember," writes one, in reference 
to the young curate's work at Sutton, " as quite a 
little child, how he won my heart by carrying my 
poor pet cat, that had been hurt by a heavy piece 
of wood falling on it, into a place of safety, and 
doing all he could to ease its pain. Also, about 
the same time, in a heavy gale of wind, he was 
going out to dinner at Mablethorpe, and, passing 
through Trusthorpe, found a little girl blown into 
the thick black mud at the side of a big drain, 
and unable to free herself. He not only went to 
the rescue, but carried her to her home at the far 
end of Sutton, regardless of dinner! The once^'' 
continues the same writer, " that he revisited 

£6 




William Carpentkr Bompas 

From a photograph taken in Gottingen 



THE VOLUNTEER 

Sutton and preached there the people lined the 
path from church to gate, and stood waiting for 
him to leave the church, that they might get a 
word as he passed — a very unusual demonstration 
from our true but undemonstrative Lincolnshire 
folk of those days." 

While at Sutton, in the second year of his clerical 
life, a great sorrow came to Mr. Bompas in the 
death of his mother, to whose bedside he was sum- 
moned in January, 1861. He was devotedly 
attached to her, and was able to take part, with the 
rest of the family, in ministering comfort to her 
during her last days. 

In the midst of early discouragements, Mr. 
Bompas found a valuable friend and helper in 
Mrs. Loft, of Trusthorpe Hall. He was always 
sure of a hearty welcome at her house, and in 
after-years she followed his course with the 
warmest interest, and corresponded with him to 
the end of her life. 

In 1862 he accepted the curacy of New Radford, 
Nottingham, a poor and crowded parish, populated 
largely by lace-workers. The number of souls, 
about 10,000, within the small triangle of New 
Radford was about the same as the population 
of the vast diocese of 900,000 square miles of 
which he was later to have episcopal supervision. 
To this circumstance he referred when preaching 
in the parish on his return to England for consecra- 
tion in 1874. 

From Nottingham Mr. Bompas went for a short 

29 



THE VOLUNTEER 

time as curate to Holy Trinity, South Lincolnshire, 
returning in 1864 to his former neighbourhood as 
curate to the Rev. H. Oldrid at Alford, Lincolnshire. 
As the earnest curate passed from house to house in 
his daily work, his parishioners little thought what a 
bright fire of enthusiasm was burning in his heart. He 
had been much stirred by the stories told by mission- 
aries of heathen dying without the knowledge of 
Christ in far-away lands, and he longed to go abroad 
and bear the message of salvation. His mind turned 
to China and India, with their seething millions ; but 
as he was a little over thirty years of age at that 
time, the Church Missionary Society thought him 
rather old to grapple with the difficulties of the 
Eastern languages. But when one door closes 
another opens, and at the right moment Bishop 
Anderson arrived from Rupert's Land, and made the 
great appeal for a volunteer to relieve the Rev. 
Robert McDonald at Fort Yukon. So stirred was 
Mr. Bompas by the address that he offered himself 
for the work. He was at once accepted by the 
Church Missionary Society, and ordained to the 
priesthood by Bishop, afterwards Archbishop, 
Machray, who had just been consecrated successor 
to Bishop Anderson. 

How little did those who attended that ordination 
service realize the important part those two men 
would take in Christ's great work, or that among 
the heroes of the Church in Canada in years to 
come no names would be held in greater reverence 
than those of Machray and Bompas ! 

30 



THE VOLUNTEER 

Only three weeks did Mr. Bompas have in which 
to prepare for his long journey. But they were 
sufficient, as he was anxious to be on his way. So 
complete was his consecration to the work before 
him that " he decided," so his brother tells us, " to 
take nothing with him that might lead back his 
thoughts to home, and he gave away all his books 
and other tokens of remembrance, even the para- 
graph Bible which he had always used." 



31 



CHAPTER II 
FORWARD TO THE FRONT 

(1865) 

" One who never turned his back, but marched breast 
forward.'" — Robert Browning, 

Shortly after Mr. Bompas was accepted by the 
Church Missionary Society, he went to Salisbury 
Square and inquired liow far it was to his mission- 
field, and the length of time required for the 
journey. When told it was about 8,000 miles, and 
that he was hardly likely to reach it that year, a 
smile passed over his face as he replied, " I see I 
must start with a small bag." 

After he learned more about the country, a 
longing entered into his heart to start as soon as 
possible, and reach Fort Simpson, on the Mackenzie 
River, by Christmas Day. Was such a thing 
possible ? No one before had ever done it in winter, 
and was it likely that the young, ardent missionary 
would be the first to accomplish the task ? With 
this determination in view, Mr. Bompas was not 
long in making preparations for his journey, and 
on June 30, 1865, he left London for Liverpool, 

32 



FORWARD TO THE FRONT 

where lie boarded the steamer Persia^ bound for 
New York, 

He travelled in company with the Rev. J. P. and 
Mrs. Gardiner and family and Miss M. M. Smith, 
who were o-oino; to the Red River. There were 
many passengers, mostly Americans, and for these 
an effort was made to hold service the first Sunday, 
but the captain refused to give his permission. On 
the following Sunday, however, they were more 
successful, and service was held in the saloon, 
attended by crew and passengers. Tracts were also 
distributed among the sailors, " accompanied by 
religious conversation." 

Reaching New York on July 12, two days were 
spent at the Astor House Hotel, where they had the 
exciting experience of viewing a disastrous fire right 
across the street, when a large block of buildings, 
including Barnum's Museum, was destroyed. From 
New York they proceeded to Niagara by the Hudson 
River and New York Central Railway. On the 
way Mr. Bompas spent one night at Rochester, to 
see Captain Palmer, of the American Telegraph 
Company. 

" He informed me," wrote Mr. Bompas, " that a 
party of explorers were already on their way to Fort 
Yukon from Sidkar,* on the Pacific coast, with the 
view of carrying out the company's contract entered 
into with the Russian Government for laying a tele- 
graph line through Siberia and across Behring's 
Strait, to join existing lines in America. Should 

* Sitka, until recently the capital of Alaska. 
33 



FORWARD TO THE FRONT 

the Atlantic cable prove successful, the Yukon line 
would, I suppose, complete the circuit of the globe." 

Mr. Bompas considered the American railways 
rather noisy and jostling, and the large saloon 
carriages, holding about sixty people, less pleasant 
than the English style. At the same time, he 
thought the general arrangements were " good and 
expeditious," and admired the system of communica- 
tion throughout the train and the " booking through 
luggage by duplicate ' cheques ' or metal badges." 

Leaving Niagara, Chicago was reached by way of 
Detroit. Here were seen " many soldiers returning 
from the war, some of them wounded, and most 
looking pale and sickly, reminding one too plainly of 
the many who never returned." From Chicago they 
went by rail to La Crosse, and thence by steamer to 
St. Paul. Here Dr. Schultz, a Red River merchant, 
and afterwards Sir John Schultz, Lieutenant- 
Governor of Manitoba, was met, who conveyed 
their heavy luggage across the plains in his ox- 
train, and proved in many ways of great assistance. 

At St. Cloud the first difficulty presented itself. 
Since the fearful Sioux massacre of 1862 people 
were in great dread all over the country, and they 
found it impossible to get anyone to convey them 
on towards Red River. After much trouble and 
delay, they were forced to procure a conveyance 
for themselves. Before leaving St. Cloud they 
were told time and time again to beware of the 
Indians, who were always prowling around. " But," 
said one informant, " they will respect the English 

34 



.Tq> 



FORWARD TO THE FRONT 

flag, and I advise you to take one along." Such a 
thing the party did not possess. But Mr. Bompas 
was equal to the occasion, so, procuring some red 
and white cotton, he soon formed quite a respectable 
banner, which was fastened to a small flagstaff 
erected on the cart. Some distance out on the 
prairie* mounted Indians appeared in sight, and, 
like the wind, one warrior swept down to view the 
small cavalcade. Beholding the flag of the clustered 
crosses, he gazed for a time upon the little band, 
and, moving away, left them unmolested. 

" On the whole, however," said Mr. Bompas, 
" we travelled without special discomfort. Dr. 
Schultz acting as guide. The charge of the horses, 
making fires, cooking, encamping, driving, etc., of 
course, threw much work upon us, being without a 
servant." 

Reaching the Red River in safety, Mr. Bompas 
was much pleased with the whole general appearance. 

" The houses," he wrote, " are cleanly and cheer- 
ful, and new ones are being built. The settlement 
extends altogether about twenty- five miles down 
the banks of the river. In this distance there are 
five churches. The three which I saw are well 
built and spacious. The schoolrooms, also, and 
parsonages are of good size. Mr. Cowley was just 
removing into a new house of a very substantial 
character." 

Here Mr. Bompas did not have long to wait, for 
the boats of the great Hudson Bay Company were 
* Dr. Schultz was overtaken some distance out on the prairie. 

35 c 



FORWARD TO THE FRONT 

ready to start on their long Northern journey, and he 
was to go with them. There were four boats, called 
a " brigade," each rowed by seven or eight men, 
" mostly Salteaux Indians, heathen, and unable to 
speak English — a tribe much averse to Christianity." 

Then northward fled that fleet of boats, across 
great inland lakes, over hard portages where the 
freight had to be carried, past the Company's posts, 
mission-stations, and Indian encampments, where 
services were held when possible. 

But winter was rapidly closing in upon them, 
and threatening the daring voyagers. Sixty-three 
days had they been out from the Red River Settle- 
ment when Portage la Loche was reached on 
October 12, and there they found they were too 
late to meet any boat going farther north. Here 
was a difiicult situation, but Mr. Bompas was not 
to be defeated. Engaging a canoe and two French 
half-breeds, he pushed bravely forward. The 
journey was a hard one. In some places they had 
to battle with drifting ice, and the water froze to 
their canoe and paddles. Still they pressed on, all 
day long contending with running ice, and the bleak 
cold wind whistling around them, and freezing the 
water upon their clothes. At night there was the 
lonely shore, the camp-fire, the scanty meal, and 
the cold ground covered with brush for a bed. 
The next day up and on again — the same weary 
work, the same hard fight. Such was the struggle 
for eight long days, till Fort Chipewyan, on Lake 
Athabasca, was reached. 

36 



FORWARD TO THE FRONT 

Here Mr. Christie, the officer in charge of tlie 
post, gave him a hearty welcome ; here the warm 
stove sent out its cheerful glow ; and here, too, were 
to be found many comforts for months, if he would 
only stay and rest. But no, it was ever up and on. 
Never before had such a man stood within the fort. 
Who could conquer that northern stream at such a 
season ? But the missionary only smiled, and asked 
for canoe and men. They were given a large craft 
and three Indian lads. 

And once more that dauntless herald of the Cross 
sped northward. For several days the trim canoe 
cut the water, driven by determined arms. Then 
winter swept down in all its fury. The river 
became full of floating ice, jamming, tearing, and 
impeding their canoe. Axes were brought to bear. 
They would cleave a passage : the missionary must 
not be stopped. How they did work ! The ice- 
chips flew. The spray dashed and drenched them, 
and then encased their bodies with an icy armour. 
Colder and colder it grew, and the river became a 
solid mass from bank to bank. The canoe was 
dragged ashore, and placed e7i cache on the bank 
with their baggage. All around was the pitiless 
wild. It was a dreary sight to this intrepid traveller, 
with winter upon him, the bleak wilderness sur- 
rounding him, and very little food. The enthu- 
siasm of a less ardent spirit would have been 
complete^ dampened. But Mr. Bompas was made 
of sterner stuff, and without delay he and his 
companions pushed forward through the forest. 

37 c 2 



FORWARD TO THE FRONT 

On and on they travelled by a circuitous route, 
through brushwood and thickets, with clothes torn, 
hands and faces scratched and bleeding, and uncer- 
tain where they were. Night shut down and 
wrapped them in its gloomy mantle. All the next 
day they struggled forward, without food, and 
again night overtook them. Still they staggered 
on, and just when wearied to the point of ex- 
haustion the lights of Fort Resolution, on Great 
Slave Lake, gleamed their welcome through the 
darkness. 

It was necessary for the traveller to remain here 
until the ice in the lake became firm enough to 
cross with dogs and snow-shoes. Mr. Lockhart, 
the Company's officer, offered his hospitality, and 
during the delay Mr. Bompas continued busy "in 
the preparation," as he tells us, " of letters for the 
winter express, which is dispatched hence to the 
south in December, and also in practising walking 
with snow-shoes, in preparation for my journey 
forward." 

After remaining at Fort Resolution about a month, 
" Mr. Lockhart kindly dispatched him across the 
lake on snow-shoes, with two men and a sledge of 
dogs." Ice was found drifting in the open lake, 
and they were obliged to lengthen their course by 
following the shore very closely. " However, by 
God's help," wrote Mr. Bompas, " we arrived safely 
at the next post (Big Island) in five days, when I 
was again hospitably entertained by the officer in 
charge, Mr. Bird." 



FORWARD TO THE FRONT 

Here, again, lie waited anxiously for the men 
from Fort Simpson with the winter packet of mails. 
They arrived on December 13, and four days later 
started for Fort Simpson, and the missionary 
with them. Could they make the fort by Christmas 
Day ? That was the question. Only a short time 
remained in which to do it. Day after day they 
sped forward. Saturday came, and still they were 
on the trail, and the next would be Christmas Day. 
One hundred and seventy-seven days had passed 
since leaving London ; and was he to lose, after all, 
and so very near his destination ? But still the 
dogs raced forward, nearer and nearer, till — oh, joy ! 
on Christmas morning the fort hove into sight. 
There was the flag floating from its tall staff ; there 
were the men crowding around to give their 
welcome, and among them stood that dauntless 
pioneer, the Rev. W. W. Kirkby, with great surprise 
upon his face, as Mr. Bompas rushed forward and 
seized him by the hand. 

Great was Mr. Bompas's delight in having ac- 
complished the journey, and reached the fort on 
that blessed day in time for the morning service, 
and thankfully he wrote : 

" As I had especially wished to arrive by 
Christmas, I could not but acknowledge a remark- 
able token that our lives are indeed in God's hand. 
It is hardly needful to say how warm a welcome I 
received from Mr. Kirkby. When I heard what a 
trying time he had passed through last fall in con- 
sequence of the epidemic sickness among the Indians, 



FORWARD TO THE FRONT 

I felt very glad to have persevered in my efforts to 
reach him this winter." 

No less enthusiastically did Mr. Kirkby write 
to the Church Missionary Society on June 3, 
1866: 

" You will imagine, better than I can tell, what 
a delight and surprise the unexpected arrival of 
Mr. Bompas was to us. He reached us in health 
and safety on Christmas morning, making the day 
too doubly happy by his presence and the glad tidings 
that he brought. He was a Christmas-box indeed, 
and one for which we thank God with a full heart. 
The entire unexpectedness of his coming caused us 
to see in it more of the loving-kindness of our God. 
Such a thing as an arrival here in winter is never 
thought of, nor had it ever before occurred. After 
the boats leave here in the fall, we have no visitors 
from without the district until now, when the waters 
are open again. Our dear brother deserves the 
greatest credit for the way in which he persevered 
in getting to us, and the accomplishment of his 
journey speaks much for his energy and determina- 
tion. A more auspicious day, too, he could not 
have had for his arrival. He was just in time for 
morning service, so that we had, at once, the 
happiness of partaking of the Holy Communion 
together. Then followed the Indian service, in 
which he expressed much delight ; and in the even- 
ing, like good S. Marsden of old, he began his work 
by preaching from St. Luke ii. 10. He remained 
with us until Easter, and then went on with the 

40 



FORWARD TO THE FRONT 

packet- men to Great Bear Lake, where I trust God 
is doubly blessing him. 

" Fancy ! it is not yet a year since he left England, 
and in that short time he has travelled so far, 
entered upon his work, and acquired enough of the 
language to be able to tell to the Indians, in their 
own tongue, the wonderful works of God. I 
admire that way of doing things exceedingly, and 
would accord all honour to him who thus performs 
his Master's work." 



41 



CHAPTER III 
THE EXPLORATION OF THE NORTH-WEST 

' Forward ! . . . 
Into the sleet and snow, 
Over bleak rivers that flow 
Far to the North and Westward.' 

William Wilfred Campbell. 

The progress of civilization and Christianity in the 
Canadian North -West, as in many other parts of 
the world, is due in a large measure to great fur- 
trading companies. With a wonderful devotion to 
the cause in hand, they pushed beyond the bounds 
of civilization and entered regions never before 
trodden by white man. They built forts, gained 
the respect of savage tribes, and ruled them with a 
firm hand. By their boats missionaries travelled 
over the noble streams into the wilderness, minis- 
tered to the natives who gathered around the forts, 
and received supplies from the companies' stores. 

That they had their faults is quite evident, and 
there are only too many to-day ready to lay grave 
charges at their door. But we must not forget 
what an important part they played in preserving 
Canada as a British colony. Neither must we omit 
the fact that the first clergyman of the Church of 

42 



EXPLORATION OF THE NORTH-WEST 

England, the Rev. John West, was brought into the 
North-West by the Hudson Bay Company in 1820, 
or that upon the magnificent gift of £12,000 from 
Mr. Alexander Leith, a chief factor of the same 
Company, the bishopric of Rupert's Land was 
established in 1849. 

Considering that these great companies, and espe- 
cially the Hudson Bay Company, pioneered the way, 
and opened up the vast territory over which Mr. 
Bompas travelled and laboured so many years, it 
seems well to give some account of these early 
explorations. 

As friction between bodies produces heat, fire, 
and light, so by the rivalry of fur- trading companies 
the northland of Canada was opened up and a new 
era ushered in. Eager to outstrip one another, they 
were ever pushing farther and farther into the 
country, and, as has been well said, " The great 
explorers of the period (1763-1812) were all 
connected with the fur trade." 

Away to the north stretched a region, a land of 
wonder and strange stories. Indians told of a 
" great river " in the far North- West, and showed 
specimens of copper found along its banks. The 
Hudson Bay Company, acting upon these reports, 
decided to make a thorough investigation, with the 
object of solving the North -West Passage by land, 
to ascertain what mines were near the mouth of the 
Great River, " to smoke the calumet of peace with 
the Indians, and to take accurate astronomical 
observations." 

43 



EXPLORATION OF THE NORTH-WEST 

The man chosen for this work, Samuel Hearne, 
the " Mungo Park of Canada," was a trustworthy 
servant of the Company, who, on November 6, 1769, 
started on his voyage of exploration from Prince of 
Wales Fort, on the shore of Hudson Bay. Owing 
to the desertion of over half his men, the attempt 
proved a failure, and he was forced to turn back. 

Two months later he started again, and followed 
a north-westerly course over streams, lakes, and 
tlien inland across the " Barren Grounds." Food 
was very scarce, and they were reduced to great 
straits. " For a whole week cranberries, scraps of 
leather, and burnt bones were their only food." 
To add to their troubles, when 500 miles had been 
made, their only quadrant was blown over and 
broken. So again Hearne was forced to retrace 
his weary steps to the Bay. 

Nothing daunted by these failures, this noble- 
hearted explorer once more started on his north- 
ward quest. This time he was more successful. 
With a strong band of Indians who were waging 
war against the Eskimos, he floated down stream, 
and ere long gained the sea, the first white man to 
reach the Arctic Ocean from the interior. 

" The most unpleasant part of Mr. Hearne's 
story," wrote Bishop Bompas in his " Diocese of 
Mackenzie River," " is that the party of Indians 
with whom he travelled, entirely without his 
sanction, made an unprovoked attack on a number 
of Esquimaux encamped on the Coppermine River, 
and in the night barbarously massacred the whole 

44 



EXPLOKATIOX OF THE XORTH-WEST 

body of men, women, and children, and spoiled their 
tents. The site of the massacre became known 
afterwards as the ' Bloody Falls.' 

" It is remarkable that there is a bird in those 
parts which the Indians there call the ' alarm bird,' 
or ' bird of warning ' — a sort of owl, which hovers 
over the heads of strangers and precedes them in 
the direction they go. If these birds see other 
moving objects, they flit alternately from one party 
to the other with screaming noise, so that the 
Indians place great confidence in the alarm bird to 
apprise them of the approach of strangers or to 
conduct them to herds of deer or musk oxen. 

" Mr. Hearne remarks that all the time the 
Indians lay in ambush, preparatory to the above- 
mentioned horrid massacre, a large flock of these 
birds were continuallv flvino: about and hoverinc^ 
alternately over the Indian and Esquimaux tents, 
making a noise to awake any man out of the 
soundest sleep. The Esquimaux, unhappily, have a 
great objection to being disturbed from sleep, and 
will not be awakened — an obstinacy which seems to 
have cost that band their lives." 

Hearne, like Columbus, was not to have the 
honour of giving his name to the great river he 
discovered. This was reserved for another intrepid 
explorer, Alexander Mackenzie, of the North-West 
Company. In 1789 he started from Fort Chipe- 
wyan, on Lake Athabasca, in search of the " Western 
Sea." He, too, was confronted with great diffi- 
culties. Wild Indians told '• of demon-haunted 

45 



EXPLORATION OF THE NORTH-WEST 

caves and impassable falls." Terrified by these 
tales, his Indians refused to go further. With 
infinite patience Mackenzie induced them to con- 
tinue seven days longer, and if in that time they did 
not discover the sea he promised to turn back. 
Before the end of the week the mouth of the river 
was reached, and the explorer knew it was the 
Arctic Ocean he had gained instead of the Western 
Sea. 

" It is hard," says Bishop Bompas, " to overpraise 
the intrepid courage, cool prudence, and inquiring 
intelligence of that noble traveller. . . . Sir 
Alexander Mackenzie took the greatest pains to 
conciliate all Indians whom he met by presents and 
promises of peaceful trade, and he energetically 
restrained all attempts at murder or rapine made by 
the Indians who accompanied him. He did not 
meet with Esquimaux, and it is little wonder that 
these and the Mackenzie River Indians were shy of 
him, as it was then customary for the Athabasca 
Indians to make annual war expeditions down the 
Mackenzie for purposes of plunder, massacre, and 
rapine, as well as for the kidnapping of women and 
slaves." 

In after-years many eminent explorers, such as 
Franklin, Richardson, Simpson, and Rae, entered the 
country, the accounts of whose journeys and thrill- 
ing adventures may be read elsewhere. 

Several years after the discovery of the Mackenzie 
River, trading-posts were established at various 
places along this stream and its tributaries. To 

46 



EXPLORATION OF THE NORTH-WEST 

these the Indians brought their furs, and a thriving 
business was carried on. For a time there was a 
keen rivalry between the Hudson Bay Company 
and the North-West Company, but at length a union 
was effected under the name of the former. 

Not satisfied with the great advance which had 
thus been made, these " lords of the forest and 
lakes " turned their attention in another direction. 
Ever before their vision rose the majestic peaks of 
the Rocky Mountains. Beyond those barriers were 
unknown regions. What possibilities lay in that 
terra incognita they could only conjecture. News 
reached them of a great river flowing to the west, 
the estuary of which had been explored by the 
Russians several years before, and named by them 
the " Quickpak." This stream they knew must 
drain a large territory, which might prove valuable 
for fur-trading purposes. 

There was a man in the Company's service 
especially fitted for the task of pathfinder into the 
new region. This was Robert Campbell, a Scotch- 
man by birth, over 6 feet of upstanding flesh, bone, 
muscle, and iron nerve, as dauntless a pioneer as 
ever shot a swirling rapid or faced a howling 
blizzard. To him, therefore, the task was consigned 
in the spring of 1840 by Sir George Simpson, 
Governor of the Company. 

At once he began the undertaking, and after a 
hard and dangerous voyage up the Liard River, over 
lakes and portages, a stream was reached, which 
Campbell named the Pelly, in honour of Sir H. 

47 



EXPLORATION OF THE NORTH-WEST 

Pelly. A raft was hurriedly made, on which they 
floated several miles down the river to view the 
country. Considering they had gone far enough 
from their base of supplies, the raft was abandoned, 
but not before Campbell had cast into the stream a 
sealed tin can with notice of his discovery, the date, 
and other information. 

This discovery of the Pelly River only served to 
increase the interest of the Company, and it was 
resolved to push forward the investigation. In 1842 
birch bark in sufficient quantity for the building of a 
canoe was sent up to the Pelly River, and the same 
year the construction of a fur-trading post was 
begun, and named Fort Pelly Banks. Early in 
June, 1843, Mr. Campbell started down the stream 
in the canoe which had been built, accompanied by 
two French Canadians and an Indian interpreter. 
After a long voyage they reached the mouth of the 
river, where it flows into another of considerable 
size. This Campbell named the Lewes, after Chief 
Factor John Lewes. Here a large camp of Wood or 
Stick Indians was found, who gazed with curiosity, 
mingled with dread, upon the hardy adventurers 
from the East. It was Campbell's earnest desire to 
continue down the river in order to explore the 
country. This he was unable to do, owing to the 
many stories told by the Indians of the wild people 
along the river, which so terrified his companions 
that they refused to proceed. There was nothing 
left but to return, which he did most reluctantly, 
the Indians treacherously pursuing in the hope of 
slaying them. 

48 



EXPLORATION OF THE NORTH-WEST 

In the spring of 1 848 Campbell once more returned, 
and erected a post for trading purposes at the con- 
fluence of the Lewes and Pelly Hivers. This place 
was called Fort Selkirk, and occupied a dangerous 
position, owing to the animosity of a tribe of 
Indians, known as the Chilcats, along the Pacific 
Coast. From time immemorial they had kept the 
natives of the interior in abject submission, having 
defeated them in a great battle. They refused to 
allow them to cross the mountains to trade with 
the white men on the coast, as they themselves 
did a thriving business as " middle men." When 
they beheld the hated white race establishing a post 
in what they considered their rightful domain, and 
drawing away the principal part of the trade, their 
anger knew no bounds. Crossing the mountains, 
they floated down the river, and without a word of 
warning attacked the fort and razed it to the ground. 
Campbell was not present at the destruction of his 
trading-post, as two years after its erection he had 
started down the river to see at any cost what lay 
beyond. 

In the meantime another entry had been made 
into the Yukon region away to the north. In 1842 
Mr. J. Bell, in the employ of the Hudson Bay Com- 
pany, crossed the Rocky Mountains, and descended 
the Porcupine River for three days' journey. In 
1846 he returned and moved down the river to its 
mouth till he reached a great stream, which the 
Indians told him was the Yukon. Believing this to 
be in British territory, Mr. A. H. Murray established 
a trading-post at this spot the following year, and 

51 



EXPLORATION OF THE NORTH-WEST 

called it Fort Yukon. It was here that the first 
missionary work was carried on by the Church 
Missionary Society, the scene of Archdeacon 
McDonald's wonderful labours for the Master. 

At this post Mr. Campbell arrived from Fort 
Selkirk, the first white man to make the journey. 
He had ascended the Porcupine River, crossed the 
Rocky Mountains, dropped down the Peel River, 
and ascended the Mackenzie to Fort Simpson. 
Great was the surprise of the men at this latter 
place to see Campbell return in an opposite direction 
from that in which he had started out. 

In this brief outline of the discovery of the 
Mackenzie and the Yukon Rivers we have seen the 
brave efibrts of these noble pioneers. We shall see 
later how they were followed by the great King's 
messengers with the glorious gospel of salvation. 



52 



CHAPTER IV 

THE FATHER S BUSINESS 

(1865-1870) 

" While life is good to give, I give."" 

E. Arnold. 

A WRITER tells us he once saw a statue of a knight 
of the olden time, clad in mail, with his good sword 
at his side. His pose was one of conscious strength, 
and his face alight with intensity of purpose, as he 
lifted before him a scroll which bore for a legend 
the sino-le word " Credo." 

o 

In this picture we see the young knight, William 
Bompas, with heart aglow, touched by the altar- 
flame, taking up his great work in that far north 
land, proving by deed the faith he confessed, and 
anxious to pass it on to others. 

Previous to the year 1858 the North- West 
America Mission had not advanced into the far 
northern territory of vast distances, having con- 
fined its efforts to the Algonquin nation of Indians. 
On June 6, in the year 1858, which has been called 
the " Annus Mirabilis of missionary enterprise," 
Archdeacon Hunter resigned for a time his charge at 
Red River, and started north with one of the Hudson 

53 . D 



THE FATHER'S BUSINESS 

Bay Company's " brigades." The Roman Catholics 
were already establishing missions at various 
places, so, not to interfere with these, it was decided 
to go further and carry the Gospel to the regions 
beyond. 

Archdeacon Hunter was well received at the 
various forts along the way, and after a journey of 
2,000 miles, occupying two months and ten days, 
reached Fort Simpson, the principal station in the 
Mackenzie River District. He remained in the 
north the following winter, and visited Forts Liard, 
Norman, and Good Hope. Seeing a number of 
Tukudh Indians from beyond the Rocky Mountains, 
he longed to carry the good tidings to that densely 
ignorant people. But this was reserved for another 
hero of our Church. 

It was the privilege of a young man stationed at 
Red River to continue and extend the work thus 
begun by Archdeacon Hunter. This was the 
Rev. William West Kirkby (afterwards Archdeacon), 
who, in 1852, had been sent out as a schoolmaster 
by the Church Missionary Society. Upon Arch- 
deacon Hunter's return from the North, Mr. Kirkby 
was hurried forward to take his place. With Fort 
Simpson as his head-quarters, he laboured faithfully 
among the whites and Indians in the vicinity, and 
succeeded in building, so he tells us, " a little gem 
of a church." Concerning his work here, Mr. 
Bompas bore testimony a few years later: 

" Few missionaries have endured more privations 
and hardships from the climate and isolation of his 

54 



THE FATHER'S BUSINESS 

position. ... In spite of all opposition he has 
established a fine mission-station, built a beautiful 
church, learned their (Indian) language, printed in 
it a useful book of elementary instruction, and now 
he has translated two Gospels." 

During the spring of 1862 Mr. Kirkby resolved 
to cross the Rocky Mountains, and carry the message 
of peace to the far-oiF Yukon region. On May 29, 
after he had asked the blessing of God " on those 
who journeyed, and on those who remained behind," 
Mr. Kirkby began his long journey in a canoe, 
which he called the Herald^ accompanied by two 
Indian lads. 

Down the mighty Mackenzie River he wound his 
tedious way, up the Peel, and then over the Rocky 
Mountains. Standing there on the summit which 
separates the rivers flowing into the Arctic Ocean 
from those rolling down to the Pacific, the noble 
soldier of the Cross knelt down and prayed that 
the entrance of the Gospel light into those new 
regions might be abundantly blessed by God. 

Then on he pressed, against many difficulties. 
The mosquitoes were bad, and caused his temples 
and the back of his ears to stream continually with 
blood. 

" Our course to-day," he wrote, " was more 
varied than before : at one time walking up to our 
knees through dirty swamps, at another, climbing 
up the craggy sides of the mountain ridge ; now 
fording a river ; then treading with weary steps 
over large patches of unthawed snow. The rivers 

55 D 2 



THE FATHER'S BUSINESS 

were neither very wide nor deep, but the current 
in all was very strong. In all, we crossed twenty- 
five to-day. . . . The current of one was very 
strong ; but by all three of us holding fast together, 
we managed to ford it." 

A hearty welcome was given him at La Pierre's 
House, a Hudson Bay Company's post. 

" I never thought to see the day," said the 
officer in charge with tears in his eyes, " when a 
minister of the Gospel would be at La Pierre's 
House." 

Proceeding on his way down the Porcupine River, 
Fort Yukon, another Hudson Bay Company's post, 
was reached on July 6. Notwithstanding the 
warning Mr, Kirkby had received about the danger 
he would encounter from the medicine - men, he 
preached Christ boldly. The result was marvellous. 
The Indians crowded around him incessantly, and 
one after another renounced their evil way, and 
promised to lead better lives. 

" Oh, it was a goodly sight," said Mr. Kirkby, 
" to see that vast number, who had never prayed 
before, bending their knees, and trying to syllable 
the name of Jesus." 

After a stay of seven days, the missionary, on 
July 13, began his long return journey. This was 
much more difficult, as the way was nearly all up 
stream. But by God's grace Fort Simpson was 
reached on August 29, after an absence of three 
months. 

" I have travelled over 3,000 miles," thankfully 

56 



THE FATHER'S BUSINESS 

wrote Mr. Kirkby, " and have been honoured by God 
to carry the glad tidings of salvation far within the 
Arctic Circle to a people who had never heard it 
before." 

The news of Mr. Kirkby 's successful journey to 
the Yukon so stirred a missionary meeting at St. 
Andi'ew's, Red River, that a young catechist offered 
to go to the Indians in that far-off region, and the 
congregation proposed to raise the funds to send 
him. This was Robert McDonald, afterwards 
Archdeacon of the Yukon, a name destined to 
occupy the very foremost place among the heroes 
of the Canadian Church. He reached Fort 
Yukon that same fall (1862) and was bravely 
holding the post when the young and ardent recruit, 
William Bompas, entered the field. 

Upon reaching Fort Simpson, Mr. Bompas 
learned that Mr. McDonald had recovered from 
his sickness, and was able to continue his work. 
Though this news filled him with thankfulness, yet 
he was disappointed for himself, as his heart had 
been set upon the Yukon region as his special 
sphere of labour. Nevertheless, he began with 
enthusiasm to master the Indian language at Fort 
Simpson, assisted by Mr. Kirkby, with whom he 
remained till Easter, 1866. Then he pushed for- 
ward to Fort Norman, on the Mackenzie River, 
north of Great Bear Lake, where he remained till 
August. The Hudson Bay Company built him a 
house, and engaged a schoolmaster, Mr. Murdo 
McLeod, to assist in teaching the Indians, which 

57 



THE FATHER'S BUSINESS 

encouraged him very much.* He tells us that he 
did " not find the Indian children deficient in intelli- 
gence, but only in application. Their restlessness 
and want of thought appear to be the chief diffi- 
culties to be overcome. 

" With respect to the adults, I have not been 
dissatisfied with the reception given to the Word, 
though I cannot speak of results at present. God's 
book is treated with respect, and if I visit their 
tents Bible in hand, it is seldom that I cannot find 
some one ready to listen to it. My chief impedi- 
ment is the imperfect knowledge of the language, 
but I am thankful to speak even a few words in the 
name of Jesus." 

In August Mr. McDonald arrived from the 
Yukon, and, accompanying him, Mr. Bompas re- 
turned to Fort Simpson, where those three heroes 
of the Cross assembled to consider the Master's 
vineyard and arrange plans for the future. The 
question was, where to place Mr. Bompas. After 
a long and earnest discussion, it was considered 
best to give him a roving commission rather than a 
settled station. With this plan Mr. Bompas was 
well pleased, as it accorded best with his " judgment 
and wishes." 

" I am quite willing," he tells us, " to push on to 
the extreme north, to try and carry the Gospel 
among the Esquimaux ; but meanwhile it seems 

* This school was established principally for orphans left 
by the epidemic of scarlet fever during 1865. The school 
was broken up in 1868. 

58 



THE FATHER'S BUSINESS 

best for me to try and learn first one language 
thoroughly, and that the Slave, that I may be fit 
for itinerating throughout the different posts of the 
district." 

It mattered little to him where he was sent, as his 
feelings were those expressed by an English poet : 

" Should fate command me to the farthest verge 
Of the green earth, to distant barbarous climes, 
Rivers unknown to song . . . 'tis naught to me, 
Since God is ever present, ever felt, 
In the void waste as in the city full." 

After the conference, Mr. Bompas returned to 
Fort Norman, taking with him two Indian boys to 
be trained at the school, and then plunged into 
earnest work among the natives, visiting their 
camps, making journeys some distance away, and 
patiently studying the language. 

" My time," he tells us, " was occupied in visiting 
the separate tents, and trying to convey the simple 
truths of the Gospel to the natives. Some few of 
the Indians, especially one of the chiefs and the 
Indian who hunted with me, took great interest in 
my instructions. Living in the Indian tents was 
not hard to me. The habits of the Indians are 
quiet and inoffensive. Their hours of eating, 
sleeping, etc., are regular, and they are mostly 
occupied in some useful way — fishing, snaring 
rabbits, net- making, turning snow-shoes and sledges, 
and other manual labour, while the women are 
chiefly engaged in dressing deer- skins. 

" The month of December was occupied by me 

61 



THE FATHER'S BUSINESS 

at the fort, chiefly in conversing with Indians, who 
arrived ahnost daily in large or small bands, and 
nearly all of them visited me at the schoolhouse 
for instruction. 

" One of the Indians, of whom I thought better 
than any, died during this month, after a few days' 
illness. He had built a house near the fort for the 
express purpose of being near the mission. He 
hunted for us until his illness, and showed every 
desire to receive what instruction I could give. I 
baptized him before his death ; his name was 
Antoine. Another Indian also, whom I baptized 
in the spring by the name of Christian Kaia, has 
behaved very well. He took me in his canoe to 
tlie Indian camps, hunted for me, housed me, and 
waited on me with every care and attention." 

Strongly did these Great Bear Lake Indians 
appeal to Mr. Bompas's noble nature. He sym- 
pathized deeply with them in their many troubles, 
and of them he wrote most pathetically : 

" Do the noble ladies of our land, when they wrap 
around them their highly prized fur, consider that 
they cannot choose but be indebted for this luxurious 
boon to the half-naked savage roaming the woods, 
houseless and homeless, in a temperature nearly 
100° below the freezing-point, wrapped in his 
single blanket, and kindling in the deep snow his 
solitary fire, owing his preservation and food — not 
daily food, perliaps — to the one great Father, who 
regardeth not the rich more than the poor, for they 
are all one in His hands ? Oh, pray for the souls 

62 



THE FATHER'S BUSINESS 

of these poor Indians, that they may become our 
brethren in Christ, that so their pitiable state on 
earth may be forgotten in the joys of one common 
heaven above !" 

Leaving Fort Norman on January 10, 1867, he 
started on a long journey to Fort Rae, on Great 
Slave Lake, in company with Mr. King, the officer in 
charge of the Hudson Bay Company's post at that 
place. They were twenty days in making the trip, 
passing on the way one large brigade of Dog Rib 
Indians, whom Mr. Bompas visited for a few hours. 

" The name of Jesus," he says, " was that which I 
sought feebly to proclaim, and with this they did not 
seem familiar. Two I saw nearly in a dying state." 

He found the Indians at Fort Rae greatly 
diminishing in numbers, owing to European diseases, 
which they contract " through intercourse with the 
whites. This is a call to us," he adds, " to be 
earnest and active in ministering to them the Gospel, 
that a ' remnant may be saved.' 

" My feeling in regard to this country is much 
the same as that expressed by the Moravian mis- 
sionaries in a similar sphere in Greenland — namely, 
that for any other object than that of walking 
patiently and humbly with our God this country 
offers but a poor position ; while if we ever keep in 
mind our Saviour's words, 'Whosoever shall humble 
himself as this little child, the same is greatest 
in the kingdom of heaven,' then we shall, I think, 
view our sphere of labour here as affording a good 
school for heaven." 

63 



THE FATHER'S BUSINESS 

He earnestly longed to acquire the Indian 
language, that he might the better impart the truth, 
and yet he found many difficulties in the way. 

" The little I already know," he writes, " the 
Indians often ascribe to magic, or ' medicine,' as 
they call it, but I trust I know how to ascribe it 
entirely to the help of God's Spirit. Beyond this, 
a familiarity with the Indians' habits and feelings 
and modes of thought, the hardening of one's 
own constitution to bear the exposure of associating 
with them in their tents, the discovery of the best 
means of approaching them with the truth, etc., are 
all matters of time, and in this country progress is 
slow." 

It appeared to him to be of little use to teach the 
Indians to read their own language until books were 
printed in it, and he longed for " a small quantity of 
large printing type, with ink and paper," that he 
might teach " the Indian lads to read in Slave. 
Had I these things," he continues, " which I have 
mentioned, I think I could cheerfully resign myself 
to a lifetime spent in the wilderness, devoting such 
of my time as is not occupied among the Indians to 
the study of God's word in the original languages — 
a favourite study, which the bustle of home-life 
sadly interrupted, and which the infidel assaults of 
our day and generation urgently demand." 

Mr. Bompas remained at Fort Rae until the latter 
end of June, and then went to Fort Resolution, on 
the opposite shore of the same lake. He travelled 
in company with a Roman Catholic priest, Pere 

64 



THE FATHER'S BUSINESS 

Gascoigne, who had spent the winter at Fort Rae. 
During this trip Mr. Bompas endeavoured to bring 
about a dispassionate consideration of the differences 
between Protestantism and Romanism, but in vain. 

From Fort Resolution Mr. Bompas went to Fort 
Chipewyan, on Lake Athabasca, where he remained 
during the summer. Here good work was carried 
on among the Cree and Chipewyan Indians, when 
they assembled around the fort to receive their sup- 
plies. Though for fifteen years the Roman Catholics 
had held sway at this post, Mr. Bompas was very 
anxious to start a Church of England mission here, 
and the Hudson Bay Company's officers gave him 
every encouragement. 

" A mission here," he says, " would form a sort 
of connecting-link with that at Fort Simpson, which 
hitherto has been so far isolated, and we might 
then, I think, consider that the whole country is 
brought to some extent within the sound of the 
Gospel, with the exception of the Esquimaux, for 
service among whom I would gladly volunteer at 
any time if this and nearer stations can be other- 
wise filled." 

Mr. Bompas shows how good work done in one 
section of the country affects another many miles 
away. He mentions that at the post were Indians 
who had been brought up in the mission-schools at 
Red River and the neighbourhood " who are now 
married and with families, and who, in their educa- 
tion, habits of life, and deportment, do great credit 
to their instructors. The seed sown at Red River 

65 



THE FATHER'S BUSINESS 

is thus bearing fruit at a distance of more than 
1,000 miles." 

He pleaded earnestly for a man to take up work 
at Fort Chipewyan, and urged that " the small 
Protestant community here needs the rites of 
baptism, marriage, and burial performed for them. 
It is a Cree-speaking student from St. John's 
College, Red River, that I should rejoice to see 
labouring here." 

Early in January, 1868, Mr. Bompas left Fort 
Chipewyan and travelled up the Peace River to 
Fort Vermilion, and found himself in the country 
of the Beaver Indians, whose physical condition he 
described as " very pitiable. They are very careless 
and neglectful in their dress, and, though quick and 
intelligent, appear idle and dissipated. There are 
but few among them sound in health, and they 
seem fast dying off. I do not think there is any 
hope of saving their lives in this world, as well 
as their souls for the next, except through the 
ameliorating influence of Christianity, brought to 
bear on them by means of a mission established in 
their midst." 

" The most necessary adjunct to winter travelling 
in the North is a dog-sledge, for dogs alone are 
there used for hauling provisions and fuel over the 
winter snows. The strength and endurance of a 
train of three or four dogs is wonderful. Each 
dog is expected to haul a weight of 100 to 150 
pounds. . . . Hard blows and unfeeling usage 
are too often the experience of the dogs in the 

66 



THE FATHEK'S BUSINESS 

North, and hence their temper is snappish and their 
intelligence and affection hut small. 

" Much pride or zeal is shown in the North in 
decking the sledge dogs in gay trappings with 
ribbons, beads, coloured cloth, and with numerous 
jingling bells. A number of dog-trains together 
form an animated scene." 

A good dog-team in the North costs from 100 
to 200 dollars, averaging about twenty - five 
dollars a dog. Some of the best in the country 
are bred by the natives, nearly every grown-up 
Indian having his own dog-team and sledge or 
toboggan. The Indians make their own sledges 
and harness, the former being made of birch wood, 
and the latter of moose-skin. 

The affection of the dogs towards their master 
is of the kind that has been called " cupboard 
love." They attach themselves quite readily to 
the one who feeds them. They resemble mankind 
to a certain extent in this respect, and also in the 
matter of work, some being very willing, while 
others are lazy. 

Their life, as a rule, is a hard one. At times 
they suffer much, not only from the cruel lash, but 
their feet become bruised and sore, owing to the 
sharp crust and ice, and blood often marks the 
trail. The snow, too, gathers in lumps between 
their toes, and often the driver is forced to stop 
and clear this away. Sometimes the dogs them- 
selves will pick out the snow and ice with their 
teeth. To obviate this, little moccasins are 

69 



THE FATHER'S BUSINESS 

made for the feet, which give the animals much 
comfort. When a dog is disabled he is turned 
loose to follow in the best way he can. 

They can travel from twenty-five to thirty miles 
a day, under ordinary conditions, for two or three 
weeks, and longer if given an occasional day's rest. 
" They show a marked difference of character," 
says the Rev. John Hawksley, who has lived for 
over twenty years in the North, " some being mild 
and gentle, with a certain amount of affection, 
while others are most ferocious, and very quarrel- 
some with the other dogs in the team. Others, 
again, are very uncertain, at one time licking your 
hand while harnessing them, at another snapping 
fiercely at you." They do not mind being shifted 
about in the team. The leader, who has been 
carefully trained for his position, is seldom 
changed. 

The dogs are fed only once a day, after camp has 
been pitched for the night. If fed in the morning 
or while on the trail, they become so lazy and in- 
different that no progress can be made. Their food 
consists of either dried fish or rice, cornmeal, rolled 
oats or flour, boiled either with bacon or dried fish 
well cut into small pieces. 

Seldom does the traveller ride during a long 
northern journey. He is thankful if the dogs draw 
the load, and at times he is forced to assist. Day 
after day he must follow the sledge, running by the 
side of the dogs, urging them on, or plodding ahead 
breaking a trail through the deep snow. This is 

70 



THE FATHER'S BUSINESS 

all done on the light and springing snow-shoes, 
which have been well named " northern slippers." 

" Anyone who has tried walking in the rough 
country o£ the Arctic region in summer-time will 
readily admit the increased facility of movement in 
winter over smooth snow on snow-shoes. The 
ground is mostly marsh, clothed with a coarse 
grass, which eats out the soil into high tufts or 
lumps, on or between which the ankles of the 
pedestrian twist and writhe. These tufts are 
locally known as " women's heads," being, from the 
long grass pendent from them, like dishevelled hair. 
Certainly, to walk over them may be compared to 
what it would be to walk over the heads and 
shoulders of a crowd. 

" Snow - shoe walking requires care to avoid 
troubles. If the snow-shoe lashing or any other 
bands are too tight on the limbs, or if the feet are 
held too stiffly, a very painful affection of the 
muscles supervenes, known as the snow-shoe sick- 
ness. This sickness sometimes causes the legs to 
swell like those of an elephant, and renders them 
so powerless that the feet may have to be lifted 
with the hand by lines attached to the front of the 
snow-shoe. Such an accident, when the end of the 
journey may be 100 miles off, and no provision 
nearer, and hence no chance of resting, is not 
pleasant." 

In addition to the labour of travelling, Mr. 
Bompas had the severity of the climate to contend 
with. Though at times the weather is mild and 

71 



THE FATHER'S BUSINESS 

pleasant, yet only too often the thermometer 
plunges down to 60° and even 70° below zero. 
This extreme cold is bearable owing to the dry- 
ness and perfect stillness of the atmosphere. 

" For outside travelling," continues Mr. Bompas, 
" it is possible to keep warm on the coldest day 
without heavy clothing by walking very fast, which 
pace is often alternated with running by a good 
voyager. ... It is the hands and feet which 
require the most careful covering of blankets and 
leather, the covering of the hands being locally 
termed mittens, and of the feet moccasins." 

Though each day's journey was made with diffi- 
culty, yet at night there was the bright camp fire 
in some sheltered spot. The process of this 
camping is interesting, and has been well described 
by Mr. Bompas. 

" As sundown approaches, a spot is selected in 
the woods, where some dead trees are seen stand- 
ing. The snow is scraped away, by using a snow- 
shoe for a shovel, from a circular space sufficient 
to seat the party. This space is next thickly strewn 
with pine-branches lopped down for the purpose, 
and which are locally termed brush. The axes are 
then in requisition to fell a sufficient number of 
dead trees for the consumption of firewood for the 
night. 

" With a few splinters of dry wood and shavings 
cut from them, or with a piece of birch bark which 
burns like a torch, a fire is started and piled to a 
sufficient height with logs. Water is procured ])y 

72 



THE FATHER'S BUSINESS 

melting some of the surrounding snow, and kettles 
are brought for preparing the evening meal. Dogs 
are fed with fish, and when supper is consumed, 
shoes and socks are dried for the next day's travel, 
and the travellers seek repose wrapped in their 
blankets on the pine-brush before the fire embers, 
till shortly after midnight, when preparations begin 
for another day's march. 

" To sleep in the woods is much easier than to 
sleep without woods. In the Saskatchewan plains, 
which are mostly bare, a traveller's life may be lost 
by his being overtaken with a storm in the open 
plain, far from water, shelter, or fuel. The fact 
that the cold is not so extreme there as in the far 
North may make the danger only greater, for if the 
snow melts about a sleeper, it will soon freeze him 
to death. For this reason one falling asleep in 
the snows of Europe will rarely wake again, whereas 
in the far North a lost traveller overtaken in a 
storm without fire or shelter, by burying himself in 
the snow, may probably sleep well and awake in the 
morning none the worse. 

" Want of fuel in a winter camp is a great 
trouble, but a benign Providence arranges that dry 
wood may be found almost anywhere. The most 
difficulty in finding fuel occurs in the approach to 
the Arctic coast. Where dry pines are lacking, a 
fire can be made of green pines, by felling a number 
together and igniting them in the heads with the 
brush or branches upon them. 

" If there are no pines, fire can be made with dry 

75 E 



THE FATHER'S BUSINESS 

willows. If these are lacking, even green willows 
are supposed to burn when once ignited, though the 
theory is rather a difficult one to reduce to practice. 
Should there be none of these, there may probably 
be no fire, unless as a last resort a sledge can be 
chopped up for the purpose. 

" There may be inconvenience also in the lack of 
materials for starting a fire. In the absence of 
lucifers or sulphur matches, fire is commonly made 
with flint and steel and a piece of country touch- 
wood, which consists of a fungoid growth or 
excrescence on the bark of the birch or poplar. A 
small particle of this touchwood is kindled to a 
spark with flint and steel ; the touchwood is then 
placed in a handful of shavings cut from dry wood, 
and the whole is waved together in the air till it 
bursts into a flame. When a steel is missing, a knife 
may be at hand, or fire may be obtained by snapping 
a gun. An Indian chief has told of his life being 
saved at a last emergency by obtaining fire from a 
piece of green stone, carried for a whetstone, and 
an iron buckle from his dog harness. 

" If a traveller in the woods happens to meet 
with an accident by cutting his foot with his axe 
while chopping firewood, his position is not an 
enviable one, and on this account it is not customary 
in the North, except with natives, for the voyager 
to travel alone. In case of such a mishap, the 
lamed one will be carried by his companions on the 
dog-sledge, if they have one, to the nearest house, 
which may be a hundred miles distant. 

76 



THE FATHER'S BUSINESS 

"As to finding the proper direction to travel 
through the woods, a native Indian is seldom at a 
loss, though a stranger may soon lose himself. For 
one lost in the woods, ' when neither sun nor stars 
appear,' the best hope of knowing his position or 
the direction in which to travel is by observing the 
bark and branches of trees. These in an exposed 
position may be somewhat blasted towards the 
north compared with their southern aspect, and 
hence the points of the compass may be surmised." 

Mr. Bomjjas believed that Fort Vermilion offered 
remarkable advantages for a mission-station, and 
was the only place he had seen in the north where an 
ultimate Indian settlement appeared hopeful. He 
thought there were facilities for farming, rearing 
cattle, horses, etc., that would render missionary 
work more cheerful and promising as far as the 
present world is concerned than farther north. 

Writing to his sister in England from this place, 
he said : 

"In your letter I am amused at your regret that 
you cannot promise me no snow and ice in heaven. 
All I can say is, let us be thankful for it here while 
we have it, and say, ' Praise Him, snow and vapours.' 
Depend on it there would be a gap in the display in 
the wonders of God in Nature if this country were 
left out. Nowhere in Nature is God's power more 
forcibly shown, as you will find explained in Job 
xxxvii. and Psalm cxlvii. Besides this, you must 
know that I have already returned to Southern 
climes, being now in the latitude of Scotland, and 

77 E 2 



THE FATHER'S BUSINESS 

witli a length of day in winter nearly like yours. 
We can no longer say with Habakkuk, ' There is 
no herd in the stall, and the fields yield no meat,' 
for there are plenty of horses and cattle here, and 
the fields would grow any quantity of corn and 
vegetables. 

" Food is abundant here. The Indians live on 
moose and beaver ; we on moose alone. It is well 
that there is the beaver for the Indians to fall back 
on, for moose-hunting is rather precarious. It is 
only in a wind that the hunter can elude the 
animal's quick scent, and only when the snow is 
quite soft that he can escape its keen sense of hear- 
ing. Last fall, when there was calm weather, and 
the surface of the snow became hard, through rain 
falling on it, some of the Athabasca Indians were 
nearly starved to death, there being no beaver 
there — by so precarious a thread does the life of 
these poor wandering Indians hang. The beaver 
are numerous here. About 4,000 beaver skins 
have been traded at the fort this winter, and there 
are but about fifty Indian hunters. 

" I have paid the Indians a couple of visits in the 
woods since I have been here, but not to stay long 
with them. Lately they have been, most of them, 
at the fort. I have tried to learn something of 
their language, which is a new dialect for me. 
Sometimes I think they were the first people that 
were made, because they call a finger-ring ' O ' and 
a star ' Sun.' What can I teach, except to look to 
Jesus and ask Him to give them good hearts ? 

78 



THE FATHER'S BUSINESS 

" You can have little idea of the way in which 
we count here by years what you count by days. 
You would say, ' I will get it to-morrow.' We say, 
' It has not come this year, perhaps it will come 
next ' ; or, ' I must order such a book from home ; 
if no mishap occur, in three or four years I may 
hope to see it.' A bit of white chalk would, I 
think, have been more use to me the last twelve- 
month than fifty sovereigns, and I have often 
thought I would barter everything I brought out 
with me, except the Bible, for one or two Sunday- 
school primers. . . . But I hope I can say I am 
learning in whatever state I am therewith to be 
content, and to rely on the promise that ' My God 
shall supply all your needs according to His riches 
in glory by Jesus Christ.' " 

While Mr. Bompas was at Fort Vermilion 
carrying on his Master's work, a change had taken 
place at Fort Simpson. After sixteen years' absence 
from England, nine of which had been spent on the 
Mackenzie Biver, Mr. Kirkby returned home for a 
well-deserved rest, and also with a view to the print- 
ing of the Gospels of St. Mark and St. John, which 
he had translated into the Chipewyan language. It 
was his earnest wish that his work at the post 
should be carried on by Mr. Bompas, who returned 
from Fort Vermilion for that purpose, about 
August 20, 1868, took charge of the mission 
premises, and continued the services. The latter's 
time on week-days was occupied chiefly in " school- 
ing about a dozen children, all of them natives of 

79 



THE FATHER'S BUSINESS 

this country, about half of them children of white 
men, and the other half pure Indians." 

That fall a medical man, Dr. Mackay, arrived at 
the fort, " who had been sent by the Fur Company 
chiefly for the purpose of investigating the diseases 
of the Indians, with a view of recommending 
remedial measures." He was given a room in the 
mission-house for the winter, and the missionary 
supplied him with much assistance in the way of 
interpretation, and felt very " grateful that the Fur 
Company had taken interest enough in the Indians' 
welfare to send a medical officer to so great a 
distance on their behalf." Mr. Bompas believed 
that " in this country one is sometimes tempted to 
think too much of the physical aid, and yet the 
misery here, as elsewhere, is the fruit and punish- 
ment of sin, and the Physician of souls is He to 
whom recourse must be had for a medical cure. 
Still, I should be delighted for the Gospel and 
medical science to go hand in hand." 

During the winter and spring he remained at 
Fort Simpson ; but a change was soon to take place 
which would remove him to the far north among 
hardships and dangers of the most thrilling nature, 
the account of which must be reserved for another 
chapter. In this has been given the outline of a 
work carried on over a vast extent of country, 
where thousands of miles had to be travelled, and 
obstacles and dangers overcome, that the Father's 
business might be performed and precious souls 
brovight home. 

80 



CHAPTER V 
THE COUNTRY AND ITS INHABITANTS 

" AVhat charming solitudes ! and what life was there ! 
Yes, life was there ! inexplicable life." 

Charles Mair. 

Of the country in which Mr. Bompas was to play 
such a grand part for so many long years, we are 
able to give an account, chiefly in his own words.* 
It is a region o£ about 1,000,000 square miles — 
the fourth of all Canada. Two mighty rivers, the 
Mackenzie and the Yukon, pour their icy waters 
into the Arctic Ocean and the Behring Sea. 
Between these the Rocky Mountains lift their 
hoary peaks as a huge barrier. 

" The great Mackenzie River is the longest in the 
British dominions, being, from its source to its 
mouth, upwards of 3,000 miles long. It bears the 
name of Mackenzie only after passing through 
Great Slave Lake, whence its course to the sea 

* The substance of this chapter is taken from the Bishop's 
two volumes, "The Diocese of Mackenzie River" and 
" Northern Lights on the Bible," by kind permission of the 
Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge and Messrs. 
J. Nisbet and Co. 

81 



THE COUNTRY— ITS INHABITANTS 

is about 1,200 miles. It averages about a mile in 
breadth, with a swift current running about three 
to four miles an hour. From about 150 miles 
above Great Slave Lake to the sea there is no great 
obstruction to the navigation, the few rapids being 
inconsiderable. In the upper part of the stream it 
is called by the names of the Athabasca and Slave 
River. 

" The banks of the Mackenzie River are mostly 
high and clothed with pines. The shores are 
stony, except in reaches where soil is being cut 
from muddy banks by the encroaching water. 
Islands occur at intervals in the course of the 
stream. The chief features of interest along the 
river occur where the mountains or jutting crags 
border the channel. There are first the Nahany 
Mountains, to avoid which the river takes a sudden 
bend to the north. Next is noticed the bold precipice 
known as the ' Hill by the River-side,' a sheer cliff 
which drops into the water on the right bank of the 
stream. About 150 miles below this is Bear Rock, 
an imposing headland immediately below Fort Nor- 
man. In the same vicinity are seen constant natural 
fires burning on the river-banks, and fed by under- 
ground coal or mineral pitch. These have been on 
fire for at least a century — in fact, ever since the 
discovery of the river. 

" Just above the Arctic Circle, the Mackenzie 
River narrows into a gorge or canon, between high 
perpendicular cliffs, known as the Ramparts. These 
clift's are fantastically scarped by Nature into a 

82 




< 1" 

Q S 

< -^ 

O - 

^ o 






THE COUNTRY— ITS INHABITANTS 

semblance of towers and turrets, and present a 
pleasing aspect. The gorge is about ten miles 
long, and seems to form a stupendous portal into the 
Arctic world. Immediately beyond these cliffs is 
situated Fort Good Hope. Below this point the 
river sometimes expands into the appearance of 
a lake, and at other times narrows, when hemmed 
in by rocks, till the single stream reaches Point 
Separation, about lat. 68°. From thence the 
river divides into numerous channels, which widely 
expand as they approach the sea, till at the coast 
the delta of the river measures probably about fifty 
miles across." 

The principal lakes in the far North are three — 
namely, Athabasca, Great Slave and Great Bear 
Lakes. Athabasca Lake may be about 150 miles 
long ; Great Slave Lake is counted about 300 miles 
long ; Great Bear Lake is only about 200 miles 
in length, but as it will measure about the same in 
width, it probably contains more water than Great 
Slave Lake. 

" In attempting a succinct view of the natural 
features of the diocese at large, it may be stated 
generally that its northern border, consisting of the 
country within about 100 miles of the Arctic coast, 
is known as the ' Barren Lands,' from its being 
quite denuded of trees by the blasts of the frozen 
ocean. To the south of this belt the whole country 
is generally clothed with pines, except so far as it is 
intersected by lakes and small marshes. The lakes 
are of every dimension, and so numerous that in 

85 



THE COUNTRY— ITS INHABITANTS 

scanning the country from a height you will some- 
times deem the surface to be more water than land. 
The soil among the pine-trees is generally covered 
wdth a yellowish moss, which forms the natural 
food of the reindeer, and a more succulent moss 
generally occupies the marshes, though these and 
the small lakes are often fringed with grass, which, 
near the trading-posts, is mown for the cattle. 

" One noticeable feature of the country is the 
burnt wood. From various causes tires are apt to run 
through the forests in the drought of summer, and 
these reduce the pine-trees to bare and blackened 
poles. In a few years after such a fire an under- 
growth springs up, and soon young saplings begin 
to replace the timber trees that have been destroyed. 
The charred poles, however, of the consumed forest 
remain standing for many years. Such a burning 
of the forests will often change the course of the 
migratory reindeer, and perhaps leave a country 
hungry that has been rich in provisions. The 
spectacle of a blazing forest, when one pine-tree 
after another flares up in sparkling splendour, is a 
sight of startling magnificence." 

Crossing the Rocky Mountains westward, we 
come upon the Yukon River. It is a noble stream 
of over 2,000 miles in length, flowing into the 
Behring Sea about lat. 62° 30' N. Only a portion 
of it flows through British territory, about 639 
miles, the remainder being in the United States 
territory of Alaska. It flows through the entire 
length of the Diocese of Yukon, and has many fine 

86 




u 



THE COUNTRY— ITS INHABITANTS 

feeders, the most important of which are the 
Stewart, the Pelly, with its branch the Macmillan, 
and the Teslin. Though generally known as the 
Yukon for its entire length, this river for some 
distance from its source is called by various names, 
such as the Lewes, the Sixty Mile, and many 
others. The principal lakes through which this 
stream flows are Lake Bennett, twenty-five miles 
long, Marsh Lake, nineteen miles long, and Lake 
Laberge, thirty-one miles in length. Besides these 
there are splendid lakes and rivers over the entire 
country, flUed with many fine fish. 

The climate in the Yukon is unequalled any- 
where. The winters are clear, cold, and crisp. 
The thermometer falls very low at times, but so dry 
and still is the air that the cold is felt far less than 
in many places of a higher temperature where the 
air is moisture-laden. The summers are warm and 
pleasant. The snowfall is not heavy, except on 
the mountains, while the rainfall in summer is light. 

In considering the inhabitants of the far North, 
we can only touch the hem of the question, on 
which so much has been written. For those who 
wish to make an exhaustive study of the natives 
of this land the admirable article, " The Canadian 
Denes," by the Rev. A. G. Morice, in the Annual 
Archaeological Report of 1905, will be most help- 
ful. Though Mr. Morice differs from Bishop 
Bompas in certain points, we will in this short 
account follow the Bishop's views as set forth in 
his writings. 

89 



THE COUNTRY— ITS INHABITANTS 

The natives o£ tlie far North may be divided 
into three classes : the Tenni, Tiikudh, and 
Eskimos. 

The Tenni, who live towards the south, are known 
by different names, such as the Chipewyans, Yellow 
Knives, Dog Ribs, Big River Indians, Slave Indians, 
Nahany or Mountain Indians, and others. They are 
of a sallow complexion, of the Mongolian type. 
They have coarse features, thick lips, and prominent 
cheek-bones. They live in conical tents or lodges, 
with a frame of poles, and covered with dressed 
deer or moose skin. " In spring they make canoes 
of birch bark for water travel and chase. In the 
fall of the year they make birchwood snow-shoes 
for winter voyaging. Their tents are floored with 
a litter of pine-branches, and warmed with a pine 
log fire in the centre. Their dress is of moose or 
deer skin trimmed more or less with beads or dyed 
porcupine quills, except so far as they may be 
able to purchase clothing of European manu- 
facture. 

" Many of the Indians have erected wooden 
log-houses, after the fashion of the whites, which 
they are quite competent to do, but they seldom 
inhabit these long. Their fondness for roving, or an 
increasing scarcity of wild animals round their fixed 
abode, soon drives them again to their tent. More- 
over, if a death occurs in their house the Indians 
have a superstitious dread of remaining there. 

" The whole of the Tenni race seem to be of a 
sickly habit, and are rather dwindling in numbers. 

90 



THE COUNTRY— ITS INHABITANTS 

They do not seem to be much addicted to ardent 
spirits, nor are these now supplied to them ; but 
they have an inveterate propensity to gamble. 
Though almost wholly free from crimes of violence, 
and not much inclined to thieve, yet heathen habits 
of impurity cling, alas ! still too closely to them, 
and they exhibit the usual Indian deficiency in a 
want of stability and firmness of character. This 
Indian race seems to have been free from idolatry 
before the arrival of Europeans among them, 
and they had some knowledge of a good and 
evil spirit, and of rewards and punishments after 
death." 

The Tukudh Indians live farther to the north, 
and extend westward beyond the Rocky Mountains. 
They, too, are known by various names, such as the 
River, Lake, Valley, and Mountain Indians. They 
have sharper features, are " more lively and intelli- 
gent, as well as more cordial and affectionate, than 
the Tenni. Their eyes are inclined to be small and 
pointed, rather as the Chinese. From this circum- 
stance, probably, they obtained from the French 
the sobriquet of the Loucheux, or squint-eyed, for 
they are not really affected with squint. 

" The Tukudh make their tents in the shape of a 
beehive, with bent poles for the frame, and the tent 
covering is formed of deer- skins with the hair on, 
and turned on the inside, the skins being softened 
by scraping. Their camps thus become nearly as 
warm as a log-house." 

Many customs of these northern Indians are very 

93 



THE COUNTRY— ITS INHABITANTS 

interesting. " The women's dress mostly consists 
of a long leather coat trimmed with cloth or beads, 
and sometimes a cloth hood for the head. The 
women's faces until recently were often slightly 
tattooed with dark lines on the chin, formed by 
drawing a thread loaded with gunpowder or colouring 
matter under the skin. The men were formerly 
addicted to painting their faces with vermilion, but 
this has fallen into disuse among the tribes in con- 
tact with Europeans. 

"The Indians are fond of rings, earrings, bracelets, 
and necklaces, and they formerly pierced the 
cartilage of the nose for the insertion of a shell 
ornament. Belts are tastefully manufactured by 
the Indian women of porcupine quill-work. This 
or bead-work, and the making of shoes, form 
their chief employment. The old women employ 
themselves in twisting grass, or roots, or sinew 
into twine for sewing or hshing-nets. The men 
and boys are often busied in shaping bows, arrows, 
snow-shoes, sledges, or other articles. 

" The Indians were formerly accustomed, instead 
of burying their dead, to place them on high 
scaffolds above the gromid; but this habit was 
probably owing to the ground being for many 
months in the year frozen too hard to dig it. The 
raising on scaffolds was also a greater preservative 
than burying underground, from the ravages of 
animals of prey. Since mingling with the whites, 
however, the Indians conform to European habits 
of burial. . . . 

94 



THE COUNTRY— ITS INHABITANTS 

" None of the Indians of Mackenzie River seem 
to have been acquainted with the use of plants or 
herbs for medicines. In their medicine-making 
they used only the charms of drumming and singing. 
The Esquimaux, with the drumming and singing, 
combine an address to an invisible spirit supposed 
to have power over the disease. 

" In sickness the Indians are very pitiful. They 
soon lose heart, and seem to die more from despon- 
dency than disease. Their need is often not so 
much medicine as good nourishment and nursing ; 
but this is hard to obtain. Food is often scarce for 
those in health to seek it, and for a sick Indian it 
may be hard to find a friend in need. The constant 
removals are trying to the weak and infirm, and in 
times of distress those who cannot follow the band 
are left behind to perish. Indians have been known 
to devour their own children in cases of absolute 
starvation ; but such cases are rare, and may, 
perhaps, be attributed to a temporary mania. 
Those who are believed to have perpetrated such an 
act are feared and shunned. 

" Chocolate is a favourite beverage with the sick, 
where it can be obtained, and is looked upon as 
a medicine. The Indians universally give it the 
name of ' ox-blood,' because it was mistaken by 
them for the blood of the musk-ox when first 
they saw it used by the whites. Rice, which 
is called ' white barley,' is another luxury coveted 
by the sick. Flour is known by the Tukudh 
Indians as ' ashes from the end of heaven.' Tobacco 

97 



THE COUNTRY— ITS INHABITANTS 

is ' warmth and comfort,' and the pipe the ' comfort- 
ing stone.' 

" All articles in use by the whites are named by 
the Indians without hesitation, according to their 
employment. A table is ' what you eat on '; a chair, 
'what you sit on'; a pen, 'what you write with.' 
A watch is called ' the sun's heart.' A minister is 
with them ' the speaker,' and the church ' the 
speaking-house.' So a lion is called ' the hairy 
beast,' and the camel ' the one with the big back.' 
A bat is called ' the leather-wing,' because such is 
its appearance. Thus an Indian is never lost for a 
name. A steam-boat, before it was seen by the 
Indians, used to be called ' the boat that flies by 
fire '; but since they have seen it, * the fire-boat ' 
seems to be name enough. 

" The Esquimaux differ much in appearance and 
habits from the Indians. In complexion they are as 
fair and fresh -coloured as ourselves, and do not 
differ much in feature from northern Europeans, 
but their eyes are rather smaller, and their faces 
and hands somewhat chubby. . . . 

" In stature the Esquimaux of the mouth of the 
Mackenzie River are, many of them, large and tall, 
and of muscular frame ; but the women are mostly 
below the average height of Europeans. The dress 
of men and women is nearly alike, but the coats 
differently shaped. The material is white deer- 
skin, tastefully decorated with beads and trimmed 
with fur. The men wear a circular tonsure on the 
head. They have also the inconvenient custom of 

98 



THE COUNTRY— ITS INHABITANTS 

piercing each cheek with a hole, to admit the inser- 
tion of a large bead, often surrounded by a 
white disc or tablet of ivory nearly 2 inches in 
diameter. . . . 

" The Esquimaux, both men and women, are 
immoderately fond of tobacco, which they smoke 
differently from other people. The bowl of their 
pipe is less than half the size of a thimble, and two 
or three whiffs are all they use on each occasion. 
This smoke, however, they swallow, which produces a 
transient intoxication or even unconsciousness, under 
the influence of which they occasionally fall from 
their seat. . . . 

" The skill of the Esquimaux workmanship is 
considerable, especially in carving needle-cases and 
other small ornaments out of the ivory of the 
walrus tusks. Their spears, bows and arrows, and 
other implements, are all neatly contrived. Their 
canoes are well framed and covered with seal-skin. 
These have no natural tendency to keep upright, 
but the reverse ; yet the owner will ride them over 
the ocean waves as on a prancing steed. When his 
waterproof coat is secured over the mouth of the 
canoe, he will turn a somersault, canoe and all, from 
side to side in the water. They have a singular 
way of throwing a spear from a hand-rest at the 
musk-rat, so as not to overbalance the canoe, the 
management of which probably resembles somewhat 
that of a bicycle. 

"Their provisions consist mostly of the flesh and 
oil of whales, walrus, and seal. These they hunt, 

101 F 



THE COUNTRY— ITS INHABITANTS 

not in their canoes, but embarked ten or a dozen 
together in a larger boat covered with walrus hide. 
In their common travels this large boat is managed 
by the women, who convey the tents, bedding, and 
utensils therein, while the men paddle about and 
hunt in their light canoes. The Esquimaux wives 
thus become superior oarswomen. 

" The dwellings of the Esquimaux vary at different 
seasons of the year. In the fall and early winter 
they dwell in houses partly excavated and lined 
with logs covered with poles, and over these with 
earth or snow. They are thus much warmer than 
they would be quite above ground, and it is not 
their habit to use fire in their dwellings. If fire is 
required for cooking they make one outside. If 
fuel is at hand they prefer to cook their food ; but 
if fuel is wanting or cooking inconvenient, they eat 
their meat or fish raw without trouble. In fact, 
meat or fish frozen can be eaten raw without so 
much distaste, the freezing having an effect on the 
tissues somewhat similar to the cooking. The taste 
of whale blubber is not unlike raw bacon, and it 
cannot easily be cooked, as it would liquefy too 
soon. Seal-oil is the favourite luxury of the 
Esquimaux, and it is indeed sweet, but somewhat 
mawkish and sickly. 

" When the winter is advanced, the Esquimaux 
leave their excavated dwellings, and build houses or 
even villages of frozen snow. These are constructed 
with such ease and speed that, as Milton's imagined 
palace, they seem to rise like an exhalation from the 

102 



THE COUNTTIY— ITS INHABITANTS 

earth. The blocks of frozen snow are cut out of the 
mass with large knives, and built into solid masonry, 
which freezes together as the work proceeds, without 
the aid of mortar. Being arched over, a dome-shaped 
house is formed, with a piece of clear ice for a 
window, and a hole, through which you creep on all 
fours, for a door or entrance. One-half of the 
interior is raised about 2 feet, and strewn with 
deerskins as beds and sofas, in which the long 
nights are passed in sleep, for which an Esqui- 
maux seems to have an insatiable capability and 
relish. 

" In summer the Esquimaux camp in deer-skin 
tents. They then visit the trading establishment 
of the Hudson Bay Company at Peel River, about 
100 miles from the sea-coast, and there they barter 
their furs for tobacco, kettles, and axes. They do 
not purchase European clothing. In the autumn 
they often hunt for reindeer or fish for herring, 
which they store for winter use ; and they seem to 
prefer these when somewhat rotten. 

" The character of the Esquimaux is, unhappily, 
still rather treacherous and murderous. They are 
great thieves and soon angry. They are, however, 
capable of attachment and gratitude, and are some 
of them quite free from ill-will. They are willing to 
accept instruction in the Christian religion, though 
they have not yet learned to obey its dictates. 
Though in some respects disgusting in their domestic 
habits, yet in their manners to a stranger they are 
courteous and even ceremonious." 

105 F 2 



THE COUNTRY— ITS INHABITANTS 

Concerning the Indian languages the Rev. John 
Hawksley says : 

" They are radically different. In the Diocese of 
Mackenzie Kiver the natives of the northern part, in 
the Peel River district, speak a totally different 
language to those of the southern, and the same 
condition exists in the Diocese of Yukon. 

" The Bishop had sufficient knowledge of these 
various languages spoken by the different tribes in 
his vast field of work to enable him to communicate 
with them in their own tongue. 

" The Indians do not give up the use of their 
language when they become Christianized ; on the 
contrary, they cling tenaciously to it. Quite a 
number speak a broken kind of English, but only 
when compelled to do so." 

Speaking further of them, he says : 

" They nearly all wear European dress, and like 
it. None of the Christian Indians retain their 
old dress, though they sometimes wear a modifica- 
tion of it when out in the woods hunting, because of 
its suitability for that purpose. 

" Their capacity for civilization is very limited ; 
none become business men. Some do take up volun- 
tary lay-readers' work, and four of the Tukudh tribe 
have been ordained deacons. 

" The Indians of the North do not seem to be 
dying off. There are the average number of births, 
and in some cases large families. The children do 
not seem healthy, and many die in infancy." 

106 



CHAPTER VI 
AMONG THE CHILDREN OF THE COLD 

(1870) 

*' Love took up the harp of life, and smote on all the chords 
with might — 
Smote the chord of self, that, trembling, passed in music 
out of sight." 

Tennyson. 

We left Mr. Bompas conducting the Indian school at 
Fort Simpson, according to Mr. Kirkb j's desire. But 
the committee at Red River had other plans, and 
the Rev. W. D. Reeve, afterwards Bishop of Mac- 
kenzie River Diocese, was placed at Fort Simpson, 
while Mr. Bompas was sent to the far North, It 
suited his roving disposition well to take that long 
trip down the Mackenzie River, up the Peel River, 
over the Rocky Mountains to the Porcupine 
River, and then 600 miles to Fort Yukon. It 
was a thrillino; moment when lie reached the scene 
of Mr. McDonald's great labours, in July, 1869. 
It was for that place he had started four years 
before, when the appeal for help reached England.* 

* On August 9, 1869, the United States Government, as 
represented by Captain Charles Raymond, took formal posses- 
sion of Fort Yukon by hoisting the Stars and Stripes, Mr. 
Bompas was present on that important occasion. 

107 



AMONG THE CHILDREN OF THE COLD 

But though much interested in Mr. McDonald's 
work, still, a call was ever sounding in his ears which 
he could not silence. On his way to the Yukon he 
had met a number of Eskimos at Fort McPherson, 
who requested him to go with them down to the 
coast. It was this cry from Macedonia which was 
continually before him, so, leaving the Yukon, he 
ascended the Porcupine River, spent the winter at 
the lonely Rampart House, and in the spring went 
back over the mountains to visit the Eskimos. 

These poor natives, with their strange, uncouth 
manners, strongly appealed to his noble nature, and 
he expressed his feeling for such as these in the 
following beautiful words : 

" At the funeral of the great Duke of Wellington 
it was considered to be a mark of solemn respect 
that the obsequies should be attended by one soldier 
from every part of the regiments of the British 
Army, and it is a part of the Saviour's glory that 
one jewel be gathered to His crown from every 
tribe of the lost human race. It is an honour to 
seek to secure for our Lord one such jewel from 
even the remotest tribe." 

Leaving Fort McPherson on April 18, Mr. 
Bompas started down the river in company with 
two Eskimos, a man and a boy, hauling a small 
sledge with blankets and provisions. On the way 
he received a message from the chief of the 
Eskimos to defer his visit, as the " Esquimaux 
were starving and quarrelling, and one had just 
been stabbed and killed in a dispute about some 

108 



AMONG THE CHILDREN OF THE COLD 

tobacco." But this message had no effect upon the 
missionary ; he was doing his Master's service, and 
he knew that same Master woukl take care of 
His servant, and, undaunted, he pressed bravely 
forward. 

For three days they continued to travel without 
any difficulty, camping at night on the river-bank, 
and making a small fire of broken boughs. But 
the glare of the spring sun was very severe, and 
Mr. Bompas was stricken with snow-blindness. 

This snow-blindness is very common in the North, 
and has been described by Mr. Bompas in the 
following words : 

" As the sun rises higher and has more power in 
the months of March and April, to walk long over 
the snow in the sunlio-ht becomes distressins; to the 
eyes from the dazzling brightness. This is especi- 
ally the case in traversing a wide lake or in descend- 
ing a broad river, where there are no near forests of 
dark pines to relieve the gaze, but an unbroken 
expanse of snow. 

" The effect of this is to produce after a time 
acute inflammation of the eyes. These in the end 
may be so entirely closed as to involve a temporary 
blindness, accompanied by much smarting pain. . . . 
The inflammation generally lasts for at least three 
days, after which it gradually subsides. In the 
meantime it may be ameliorated by dropping one 
drop of laudanum into the eye, though the sensation 
of this is like an application of liquid fire. The 
voyager feels very helpless during the acute stage 

109 



AMONG THE CHILDREN OF THE COLD 

of snow-blindness, and, like Elymas the sorcerer or 
St. Paul himself, he ' seeks some to lead him by the 
hand.' " 

For three days, in awful darkness, he was led by 
the hand of the native boy, making about twenty- 
five miles a day, till the first Eskimo camp was 
reached. It was only a snow-house, and to enter it 
with closed eyes, stumbling at every step, was a 
most disagreeable introduction. And yet such 
sufferings were little considered by Mr. Bompas. 

" They are delights," he once said. " The first 
footprint on earth made by our risen Saviour was 
the nail-mark of suffering, and for the spread of the 
Gospel I, too, am prepared to suffer." 

After one day of rest in the snow-house, Mr. 
Bompas recovered his sight, and then, moving 
forward, reached another camp. His appearance at 
each place, so he tells us, " excited a great deal of 
observation and curiosit}^, as they had never had a 
European among them in the same way before." 

In this camp he was disturbed " by yelling and 
dancing" on the very spot where he was lying. 
This was caused by an old woman " making 
medicine — that is, conjuring in order to cure a man 
who was, or was thought to be, sick." Mr. Bompas, 
unable to stand the terrible confusion, tried to stop 
them by saying that medicine- making was all a 
wicked lie, whereupon the old woman threw herself 
upon the missionary, and in no gentle manner 
vented upon him her wrath. After this he left the 
place and betook himself to another camp, where he 

110 




An Eski.mo Bride on her Wedding Day 

From a copyright photograph by permission of Halftones, Limited. 



AMONG THE CHILDREN OF THE COLD 

lay down and " enjoyed a good night's rest." Next 
morning, seeing the man who was the cause of all 
the trouble, Mr. Bompas found he was suffering 
from a sore head, for which he gave him a " small 
piece of soap and a few grains of alum to rub it 
with." When he saw the man some time later, he 
was told that his conjuring was very strong. 

What a forlorn hope lay before this missionary 
in trying to uplift and save such wild, uncouth 
creatures, who were ever around him ! Yet there 
were many things which appealed to him. He 
looked deeper than the mere surface, and, studying 
them very carefully, saw there was much cause for 
encouragement. He noticed how ingenious the 
Eskimo was in the forming of implements " out of 
any old iron which he is able to obtain, such as 
files, saws, etc., from which he will forge variously 
shaped knives, gimlets, and other tools, with which 
he constructs his boats and canoes, as well as 
arrows, bows, spears, fishing - hooks, nets and 
tackle, sledges, and all other imj^lements for the 
chase, as well as furniture for his tent." 

Then he watched his skill in building the snow- 
house, which he could " compare to nothing but the 
skill of the bee in making its honeycomb. . . . 
The snowy material is so beautiful that the work 
proceeds as if by magic." People who were so 
clever and artistic he well knew must have a love 
for the beautiful, and were capable of higher 
things. 

He studied their religious instincts, and found 

113 



AMONG THE CHILDREN OF THE COLD 

they were very low. They were addicted to lying, 
stealing, and even stabbing. " They practised 
heathen dances, songs, and conjuring, and placed 
much dependence upon spells and charms." And 
yet, sifting through all this, he found they believed 
in two spirits : one " an evil, named Atti, which 
seems to symbolize cold and death, and which they 
seek to exorcise or appease by their charms and 
spells ; the other a dim idea of a good spirit 
connected with the sun, as the source of warmth and 
life." Their faint idea of heaven was that of a 
" perpetual spring, and the name they give to 
ministers who bring them tidings of the world 
above is ' Children of the Sun.' " He also learned 
that they possessed a tradition of the creation, 
and of the descent of mankind from a single 
pair. 

Though he found them at times very treacherous, 
yet there was a spirit of true hospitality still exist- 
ing, which he felt could be fanned into a flame, and 
which would work a great change. His own diffi- 
culty was the language, and he maintained that the 
best hope would be to bring a Christian Eskimo 
from Labrador, as the Moravian missionaries there 
and in Greenland had mastered the language in the 
course of many years' labour. 

"A native of Labrador would probably be able to 
converse fluently with the natives in the course of a 
few months, and might be able in that time to give 
them a better knowledge of Christianity than a 
European missionary could in as many years." 

114 



AMONG THE CHILDREN OF THE COLD 

Though the language was a great drawback, stilJ 
Mr. Bompas determined to do the best he could. 
He collected many Eskimo words, and with his 
remarkable linguistic ability made fair progress in 
a short time. He found they expressed great 
willingness to be taught, and says : 

" They have received the little instruction I have 
been able to give them with great thankfulness. 
At the same time, their ignorance and carelessness 
are so great that they seem quite unable at present 
to apprehend the solemnities of religion. The chief 
idea they have in seeing my books is to wish that 
they could be metamorphosed into tobacco, and 
indeed, at present, smoking seems to be the sole 
object of their lives." 

He accompanied them on their various hunting 
and fishing journeys, and lost no opportunity of 
studying them and winning their affection. He 
stood by their side as they fished for hours through 
holes in the ice, and, observing their great patience, 
he himself became strengthened in the greater task 
of fishing for souls, and expresses the thought in 
the following words : 

" We may admire the patience of an Esquimau 
fishing for hours over the blow-hole for a seal ; 
and such should be the perseverance of a watcher 
for souls. ' Lord, we have toiled all night, and have 
taken nothing : nevertheless, at Thy word I will let 
down the net.' " 

During the cold weather Mr. Bompas slept with 
the Eskimos in their small, crowded houses, and the 

115 



AMONG THE CHILDREN OF THE COLD 

inconvenience he suffered must have been great, as 
the following words will show : 

" The Esquimaux sleep in their tents between 
their deer-skins, all together in a row extending the 
whole breadth of the tent, and if there are more 
than enough for one row, they commence a second 
at the foot of the bed, with the head turned the 
other way. For myself, I always took care to 
commence the second row, keeping to the extremity 
of the tent, and thus generally rested without in- 
convenience, except, perhaps, a foot thrust occa- 
sionally into my side. At the same time, it must 
be confessed that the Esquimaux are rather noisy, 
often talking and singing a great part of the night, 
especially the boys ; and if any extra visitors 
arrive, so that the tent is overfull, it is not exactly 
agreeable." 

When the warmer weather arrived, Mr. Bompas 
began to camp by himself outside, and found it 
much better. The days became so long that he 
found it difficult to tell what time of day or night 
it was, as he " thought it most prudent " not to 
carry his watch with him. Seldom did the mis- 
sionary speak of his hardships, but, reading between 
the lines of the few words he utters, one can see 
they were of no ordinary nature. 

In a letter to Mrs. Loft in England, Mr. Bompas 
gave a vivid description of these Eskimos : 

" It would be easy for you to realize," he wrote, 
" and even experience the whole thing if so minded. 
First go and sleep a night in the first gipsy camp 

116 



AMONG THE CHILDREN OF THE COLD 

you can find along some roadside, and that is pre- 
cisely like life with the Indians. From thence go 
to the nearest well-to-do farmer, and spend a night 
in his pigsty (with the pigs, of course), and this is 
exactly life with the Esquimaux. As this com- 
prises the whole thing in a nutshell, I think I need 
give you no further description. The difficulty you 
would have in crawling or wriggling into the sty 
through a hole only large enough for a pig was 
exactly my case with the Esquimaux houses. As 
to the habits of your companions, the advantage 
would be probably on the side of the pigs, and the 
safety of the position decidedly so. As you will 
not believe in the truth of this little simile, how 
much less would you believe if I gave you all par- 
ticulars ? So I prefer silence to exposing myself 
to your incredulity, but if I had to visit them again 
I should liken it rather to taking lodgings in the 
den of a Polar bear. The first time, in God's good 
providence, he did not show his claws. 

" Harness yourself to a wheelbarrow or a garden 
roller, and then, having blindfolded yourself, you 
will be able to fancy me arriving, snow-blind and 
hauling my sledge, at the Esquimaux camp, which 
is a white beehive about 6 feet across, with the way 
a little larger than that for the bees. . . . As to 
one's costume, you cannot manage that, except that a 
blanket is always a good cloak for us ; but take a large 
butcher's knife in your hand, and that of itself will 
make you an Esquimaux without further additions. 

" If you will swallow a chimney-ful of smoke, 

117 



AMONG THE CHILDREN OF THE COLD 

or take a few whifFs of the fumes of charcoal, you 
will know something of the Esquimaux mode of 
intoxicating themselves with tobacco, and a tanyard 
will give you some idea of the sweetness of their 
camps. Fat raw bacon, you will find, tastes much 
like whale blubber, and lamp oil, sweetened some- 
what, might pass for seal fat. Rats you will doubt- 
less find equally good to eat at home as here, though 
without the musk flavour ; but you must get some 
raw fish, a little rotten, to enjoy a good Esquimaux 
dinner. 

" Fold a large black horse's tail on the top of 
your head, and another on each side of your face, 
and you will adopt exactly the Arctic lady's head- 
o;ear. Then thrust a knife through the centre of 
each cheek, and leave the end of the knife-handle 
permanently in the hole, and you will experience 
the agreeable comfort of the Arctic cheek orna- 
ment. After this, get a dozen railway trucks, 
tackled together, and load them with large and 
small tow-boats, scaffold-poles, a marquee, three or 
four dead oxen, the contents of a fishmonger's stall 
and of a small rag-shop, and then harness all your 
family, and draw the trucks on the rails from 
Alford to Boston, with a few dogs to help, and 
thus you will have a very close resemblance to an 
Esquimaux family travelling in winter with their 
effects over the frozen ice. As I have formed one 
of the haulers on such an expedition, I speak from 
personal experience." 

Writing to his brother George, he says : " Do you 

118 



AMONG THE CHILDREN OF THE COLD 

know that the Esquimaux took me for a son of 
Cain, probably Mahujael, for they said on my visit 
that in the first family in the world two brothers 
quarrelled, and the one killed the other, and the 
murderer had to wander away, and they concluded 
that the white men who now came to meet them 
were probably sons of the murderer. ... I should 
think it probable that the Esquimaux circled round 
the pole from Northern Siberia, which they would 
first reach on the dispersion of Noah's sons from 
Babel. They may be descendants of Javan, to 
whose name their word for tribe, ' kavani,' has 
some resemblance. All the races in this part of 
the world show evidence of having crossed from 
Asia by Behring's Straits, and the Tukudli have a 
tradition to that effect. These, as the nearest, must 
have been the last to cross, but their language is 
allied to that of the Chipewyan race, who must have 
preceded them, and who extend the whole breadth 
of the continent from Hudson Bay to the Pacific 
coast in British Columbia. The Crees must have 
preceded these, as they are beyond them to the south, 
and retain so many Eastern customs that they have 
been mistaken, like most other nations, for the 
so-called lost ten tribes of Israel." 

Several years later, referring to these Eskimos, 
he wrote : 

" Both the Rev. Mr. Canham and myself often 
showed the Esquimaux the Illustrated London 
News, when, on meeting with an elephant, they 
would recognize it, apparently by its trunk, ex- 

119 



AMONG THE CHILDREN OF THE COLD 

claiming ' Kaleh !' as an exclamation of surprise. 
The interpreter, an Esquimaux wlio speaks English 
well, told me that they knew the animal, because, 
though not now alive in their country, they thought 
it was not long since it was so, from finding its 
body or skeleton. As elephant bodies are known 
to have been found on the Siberian coasts, it is 
still less strange that they should be found near 
the Mackenzie, for the current sets eastward from 
Behring's Straits. The bodies might, however, lie 
embedded in the ice for thousands of years without 
decomposition, and may have been floated hither 
at the time of the flood." 

His great friend among the Eskimos was the old 
chief, Shipataitook by name, vvho had at the flrst 
invited him to visit them, and had offered the mis- 
sionary the use of his camp, and entertained and fed 
him with the greatest kindness and cordiality. To 
this old chief Mr. Bompas was indebted for his life 
not long after, and ever remembered him with the 
greatest affection. 

When the ice had gone out of the Mackenzie 
River, the Eskimos began to move up stream to 
trade with the Hudson Bay Company at Fort 
McPherson, taking the missionary with them. It 
was a voyage of 250 miles, and much ice was 
encountered. For days they made slow progress 
and laboured hard. Then they became angry with 
one another, and also cast threatening glances upon 
the white man in their midst. They imagined that 
in some way he was the cause of all their trouble, 

120 



AMONG THE CHILDREN OF THE COLD 

and the angry glances were followed by threatening 
gestures, and Mr. Bompas saw that the situation was 
most critical. One night, after a day of unusually 
hard work, when little progress had been made, the 
natives became so hostile that Mr. Bompas feared 
they would take his life ere morning. But, notwith- 
standing the impending danger, the faithful servant 
committed himself to the Father's keeping, and, 
wearied out, soon fell asleep. 

Old Shipataitook was to be reckoned with. He 
had taken a fancy to the brave young white man, 
and could not see him murdered without making an 
effort to save him. He had heard the threatening 
words, and when the plotters were about to fall 
upon their victim, he told them to wait, as he 
had something to tell them before they proceeded 
farther. Then he began a strange story, which, 
falling upon the ears of the naturally superstitious 
natives, had a great effect. He told them he had a 
remarkable dream the night before. They had 
moved up the river, and were almost at Fort 
McPherson, and as they approached they saw the 
banks lined with the Hudson Bay Company's men 
and Indians, all armed ready to shoot them down in 
the boats if they did not have the white man with 
them. 

When this story was told, all plotting ceased, and 
in the morning, when Mr. Bompas awoke, he found 
no longer angry glances cast upon him, but the 
natives were attentive in their care. 

On June 14 the ice left them and the river 

123 G 



AMONG THE CHILDREN OF THE COLD 

became clear, and without more detention they 
continued on their way, " and arrived safely, by 
God's help," says Mr. Bompas, " at Peel's River 
Fort on June 18, about midnight." 

Here a most hearty welcome was given him by 
Mr. Andrew Flett, the officer in charge of the 
Fur Company's post, and of him Mr. Bompas wrote 
in the following words : 

" His influence over the Esquimaux, as well as 
the Indians, has been very beneficial, for the whole 
time of his residence among them — now nearly ten 
years — and by consistent and honourable conduct, 
as well as by his attention to the duties of religion, 
he has done much to assist the work of the 
missionary. Of his personal kindness to myself I 
have had much experience during the past twelve 
months." 

In this beautiful heartfelt testimony to the work 
and kindness of one man we see how the missionary 
was cheered in his great labour by earnest words 
of sympathy and an ever-open door of hospitality, 
where he could rest from his great journeys. To 
Mrs. Flett also Mr. Bompas was greatly indebted ; 
for in his study of the Loucheux language she 
gave him much material aid. Upon the lay 
members of the Church of Christ devolves a noble 
work in cheering the hearts and upholding the 
hands of their leaders in their strenuous battle 
against the powers of darkness. 

Never again was Mr. Bompas able to visit that 
band of Eskimos along the Mackenzie River, but he 

124 



AMONG THE CHILDREN OF THE COLD 

ever held them in miod, and often his heart went out 
to them, and he declared that " there was nothing 
warmer than the grasp of a Husky's hand." 

But his visit had not been in vain. He had 
lived among them, and shared their humble camps, 
and, though they could not understand him, nor fully 
comprehend his message, yet they could under- 
stand his love for them, and long years after they 
spoke of him in the highest terms. 

Bishop Stringer, who more than twenty years 
later travelled a good deal with Takachikima, son 
of Chief Shipataitook, says : 

" Takachikima was a young boy at that time. 
Several times he asked me about the white man 
who lived with his father long ago, and he be- 
moaned the fact that they treated him so shame- 
fully. ' Why would they not listen to him ?' he 
used to say. ' We were like dogs. We know now 
what our fathers missed.' " 



125 



CHAPTER VII 
SOWING BESIDE MANY WATERS 

(1870-1873) 

" When Thy word goeth forth, it giveth light and under- 
standing to the simple." — Ps. cxix. 130. 

Not long could Mr. Bompas rest at Fort McPherson ; 
there was great work before him, and, like his Divine 
Master, he had to be ever going about doing good, 
sowing the seed of the Gospel beside all waters in 
that great northern region. Two thousand miles 
away was the Peace Kiver Valley, which needed 
his attention, and towards this he once again set 
his face. The Mackenzie and Slave Rivers had to 
be ascended, and this took him ten weeks to accom- 
plish. Then six weeks more passed before he 
reached Fort Vermilion on the Peace River, having 
travelled since May, 1869, 4,700 miles, all in a 
canoe. 

Travelling in the North during the summer is by 
boats, and of this Mr. Bompas has given a vivid 
description. 

The boats for long journeys are generally built 
by the French half-breeds in the employ of the 
Hudson Bay Company, assisted by the Indians. 

126 



SOWING BESIDE MANY WATERS 

They are not decked. Some of the Indians can 
build well-modelled, substantial boats, though they 
prefer canoes. 

" The average distance accomplished in a day's 
journey, whether in summer or winter, is from 
twenty-five to thirty miles, with many delays in 
summer, either by rain or contrary winds, some- 
times involving detention in one spot for days 
together. 

" The travel is tedious and monotonous. In 
summer the day's voyage begins about 3 a.m. and 
is continued to 7 or 8 p.m., with a halt of about an 
hour twice a day for breakfast and dinner. The 
progress in boat voyaging is either by tow-line, 
hauled by four men on the river-bank, or by eight 
or ten heavy oars, unless a fair wind permits of 
hoisting a sail. The canoes are propelled by the 
Indian paddles. Any impediment to the navigation 
in the way of rocks, causing an impassable rapid, 
occasions delay, and the boats have to be hauled 
over the land till the obstruction is passed. In other 
places, the cargoes only have to be carried by land. 

" An accidental breakage of the boat on the 
stones obliges the steersman to insert a piece of 
wood by way of a patch, which causes a detention 
of some hours. The breakage of a canoe by a 
stick or stone is more frequent, as the canoes are 
constructed of tender birch bark. This, if torn, is 
patched with a piece of fresh bark, sewed with 
roots, and cemented with gum or pitch. 

" As the trading posts are mostly from 200 to 



SOWING BESIDE MANY WATERS 

300 miles apart, houses are generally seen on a 
summer's voyage about once a week. Between 
these a few Indian tents may be passed, but on 
most days no human being is encountered ; yet 
so incessant is travelling that it is hardly possible 
to land in any spot along the river-bank, without 
traces appearing of some person having been there 
previously, who is betrayed by a chopped stick or 
by his long-extinguished fire. 

" What is termed in the North a rapid, or by 
Americans a ripple, is an interruption to navigation 
occasioned by a shallow or rocky point in the river, 
where the water is hurried turbulently among the 
stones or in eddies, sometimes with small cascades, 
till it gains a less confined channel. 

" The test of skill in the Canadian boatmen is the 
passing of these rapids, especially in the descent, 
when the boat (mostly lightened of its cargo) is often 
urged with headlong speed down the swift waters, 
the traveller trusting to the coolness and skill of the 
helmsman and bowsman to avoid the stones. It is 
needful to urge the boats more rapidly than the 
hurrying current, in order to have headway enough 
for steering, and a quick eye and ready hand are 
quite essential. 

" The boat's cargo is generally carried past the 
obstruction by a land track, technically termed a 
portage. There are sometimes as many as fifty to 
one hundred of these interruptions in a single voyage, 
so rocky are the channels of these northern rivers, 
and so impeded their navigation. 

128 



SOWING BESIDE MANY WATERS 

" Such, however, is not the case with all the rivers. 
The great Mackenzie has no obstruction for about 
1,400 miles from the sea. Then, after one long 
rapid of about fifteen miles, the navigation is again 
undisturbed for about 300 miles more." 

On the Peace River Mr. Bompas tells us that 
" large masses of driftwood descend the river from 
the mountains with the ice in spring, and some of 
these, lodging along the banks, form drift-piles, not 
without danger for a passing voyager. His canoe 
may be wrecked and sunk among the snags, and 
himself whirled by the eddying current into mid- 
stream, or sucked under the boiling rapid." 

In addition to the difficulty of travelling by water, 
the flies are a continual pest. " An African traveller, 
who passed down the Mackenzie, stated his ex- 
perience to be that the flies of the North were 
more virulent than the insects of Africa. 

" And these are of ' divers sorts.' Early in spring 
appear the large blue horse-flies, which bite a piece 
out of the skin. These are succeeded by the 
mosquitoes, the summer infliction, which are at 
times so numerous as to cover the clothes andi fill 
the mouth and plate at meal-time. 

" In some travellers lately arrived, with a soft 
skin, the mosquito bites produce a kind of fever, and 
greatly disfigure the face and neck." 

This mao-nificent river " received its name from 
Peace Point, one of the angles in its course, where 
about a century since the Indians were persuaded 
by the traders to terminate their former wars and 

129 



SOWING BESIDE MANY WATERS 

feuds, to bury their weapons, and to devote 
themselves to peace and commerce." 

Arriving at Fort Vermilion in October, this 
messenger of peace remained there during the 
winter, teaching the natives for miles around. But 
in the spring of 1871 he again went down Peace 
River, and, after visiting Fort Chipewyan and 
Fond du Lac, on Lake Athabasca, once more 
ascended Peace River as far as Rocky Mountain 
Portage. 

" It is now, I believe," wrote Mr. Bompas, " nearly 
thirty years since a Protestant minister visited the 
upper part of Peace River, and I am thankfid to 
have been brought by God's providence thus 
far. . . . These head waters of the Peace River 
in the Rocky Mountains, about ten days' travel 
hence, have been the scene of a great excitement 
during the last twelve months, in consequence of 
the discovery of new gold-mines there. About 
2,000 miners are said to have been working there 
during the past summer, and of these some 
hundreds will probably remain to pass the winter 
among the snow. Some of them, of course, have 
not been very successful, but a considerable quantity 
of fine gold-dust has, I believe, been procured. 
This discovery will doubtless tend to the opening 
up of the country. Wagon roads are being made 
at Government expense from the coast to supply 
the miners with provisions and necessaries, and 
already the traffic is considerable. In the end it 
may turn out that one of the readiest ways of 

130 



SOWING BESIDE MANY WATERS 

access to this part of the country will he from the 
Columbian side. The rivers here actually seem to 
cross through the mountains, and are doubtless 
intended, in God's providence, to be a channel of 
communication from east to west." 

Mr. Bompas formed hopes of visiting these 
miners, but was unable to do so. He was much 
encouraged by what he heard, that " nearly all 
abstain from work on the Sabbath, notwithstanding 
the excitement of their occupation, and that the 
mining operations are restricted by the frost to 
about four months in the year." 

" We hear," he wrote further, " of several parties 
from the Columbian side of the mountains being 
sent out to explore a route for the proposed railway 
from Canada to the Pacific, and in this way I trust 
the progress of civilization, and Christianity also, 
in this wild country may be facilitated. God's 
providence is plainly working in the changes that 
are a-oino; forward, and I trust tliev will redound to 
His glory." 

In a letter to his sister in England, Mr. Bompas 
describes another phase of his work in this region, 
and lets in a little lio;ht whicli is most interestino;. 

" This spring my chief character has been that 
of public vaccinator, I should think I must have 
vaccinated about 500, and as 2,000 Indians are 
said to have died last summer of smallpox at 
one post only, in the plains, vaccination is not 
uncalled for. The smallpox also broke out last 
fall at Peel's River, only about two months after 

131 



SOWING BESIDE MANY WATERS 

I left there. Five died, and many others, including 
Mr. Flett's family, were attacked. . . . Knowing 
the danger of the smallpox to the Indians, it has 
been a pleasure to me to vaccinate them, though 
rather troublesome sometimes to persuade them to 
submit to the operation." 

In the same letter he describes the death of Mrs. 
Donald Ross, the wife of one of the Hudson Bay 
Company's clerks : 

" I had not seen her," he goes on to say, " since 
I was here three years ago, and this spring she fell 
into consumption. . . . She expressed a wish to 
see me before her death, and they were bringing 
her down to me in the boat, when she died, and her 
body only came to me to be buried. I have this 
morning buried her little girl, born about three 
months before the death of her mother. Mrs. Ross 
was a very quiet, kind woman, and seems to have 
been fully prepared for her death. She expressed 
herself quite happy to the last, and during the last 
night was often asking for the candles to be put 
out, for she said, ' It is all broad daylight with me 
now.' Her delight was in hearing the Bible read, 
especially the fourteenth chapter of St. John. I 
feel this death rebukes me for having expressed in 
a letter this spring a fear that our Saviour gathers 
no lilies from this desert land, for here are two." 

Having ministered to the Indians around Rocky 
Mountain Portage, Mr. Bompas in the fall moved 
down the river, sowing the Gospel seed as he went. 
Reaching Fort St. John, he gathered the Indians 

132 



SOWING BESIDE MANY WATERS 

around him, who gladly received his instruction. 
It was here that a fearful massacre of several of 
the Hudson Bay Company's men, by the Tsekanies 
Indians, took place years before, and on that spot 
where the awful deed of violence was committed, 
the noble ambassador delivered his great King's 
message. Only a few days did he remain here, and 
as he continued on his way he received letters from 
the committee at Red River, instructing him " to 
proceed next sjmng (D.V.) to the Youcon district, 
to replace Mr. McDonald, who has obtained leave 
of absence. This quite accords with my own 
views," continues Mr. Bompas, " of what is fitting 
and necessary, and, with God's permission, I shall 
hope, if life is spared me, once again to visit the 
far North, being the district to which I was appointed 
on leaving England." 

From Vermilion he crossed overland till he 
struck the Hay River, and, following its course, 
reached Great Slave Lake in safety in the spring 
of 1872. 

" Hay River," he tells us, " takes its rise near the 
Rocky Mountains, not far from the source of the 
Peace River. In descending the river, I witnessed 
its stupendous cataract, which is, I think, one of 
the wonders of the world. It is a perpendicular 
fall of about 150 feet high hy 500 feet wide, and of 
surpassing beauty. The amber colour of the fall- 
ing water gives the appearance of golden tresses 
twined with pearls, while in the spray was a rainbow 
reaching from the foot of the fall to the rocks far 

133 



SOWING BESIDE MANY WATERS 

above its brink. We viewed the fall only from the 
brink, as the access from below is precipitous. I 
named the cataract the Alexandra Falls. The 
waterfall which I have described impressed me 
much more with its beauty than did Niagara, which 
I saw on entering the country about seven years 
ago. Both at Niagara and Alexandra Falls I spent 
a Sunday. The beauty of the scene was much 
enhanced by the rainbows in the spray." 

Though Mr. Bompas longed to take up work at 
Fort Yukon, still it caused him much anxiety to 
leave the Athabasca district vacant. 

" If I have to leave this district a second time 
unoccupied," he writes, " the Indians will lose all 
confidence in the permanence and reliability of our 
instruction, and will be thrown more completely 
than ever into the arms of Rome." 

Then the earnest traveller was f eelino; the effects 
of his long journeys. For seven years he had been 
ever moving from place to place, and, like the great 
Apostle of old, he had endured much " in journey- 
ings often, in perils of water, in perils by the 
heathen, in perils in the wilderness, in weariness 
and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and 
thirst, in cold and nakedness." 

" As I am now once more directed to return to 
the far North," he writes, " I do not think reliance 
should be placed on my being able to return hither 
again ; for even if life should be prolonged, which 
is doubtful, I cannot reckon on being able to accom- 
plish repeatedly so long a journey from north to 

134 



SOWING BESIDE MANY WATERS 

south. I hope God's good providence will order the 
arrangements made according to the Divine will." 

A question might naturally arise here con- 
cerning the advisability of Mr. Bompas's extensive 
travelling. Could he not have done much better 
work by remaining in one locality, and cultivating 
it thoroughly, instead o£ spreading over so much 
country ? No doubt there is much truth is this ; 
but there is another side which needs careful 
consideration. 

The Indians in the North at the time of Mr. 
Bompas's arrival were mostly in heathen darkness, 
and the work of evangelization had only been begun 
in a few places. To the Indians the Gospel message 
was new, and in their unenlightened minds the pro- 
gress could only be slow, like leaven in the meal. 
Having sown a little seed among one band of 
Indians, it would be necessary for the missionary 
to pass on to others. This was what Mr. Bompas 
did. He was, to use a naval metaphor, a " detached 
cruiser," speeding from place to place, that he 
might bring in the Gospel dawn to widely scattered 
bands. 

And, further than this, we find the Indians were 
ever on the move themselves. They were forced to 
travel in order to obtain a living. They were to be 
met with in so many places : a little group by some 
river bank, or a few encamped near a lake. These 
he would meet as he passed to and fro. The seed 
would be cast, and then more sown when he met 
them again. 

137 



SOWING BESIDE MANY WATERS 

In reality this has ever been the principal method 
of work among the Indians in the North. The 
missionary establishes himself in some place where 
the natives congregate. For months they will be 
away hunting, but at certain seasons they return 
to the mission. They may remain only a few 
weeks, and in that time the work of instruction 
must be carried on. The lessons learned in this 
short time are not forgotten. A missionary 
along the Yukon River unexpectedly came upon a 
camp of Indians miles away from the mission. It 
was night, and he found them sitting around the 
fire repeating what he had taught them, and singing 
a hymn learned but a few weeks before. 

Pushing on his way down the IMackenzie River, 
Mr. Bompas spent the fall and winter and spring in 
the regions to the north and west of Fort McPherson. 
During the fall he " visited a tribe of Esquimaux 
encamped on the sea-coast about 200 or 300 miles 
west of the Mackenzie River, and found their camps 
full of American goods, which they trade from the 
whaling vessels in the Arctic Sea, inside Behring 
Straits, somewhere about Point Barrow." 

He also visited La Pierre House, west of the 
Rocky Mountains, and the reception he met with 
from the Loucheux Indians there filled him with 
thankfulness, and encouraged him much in his work. 
Writing of these Indians, he says : 

" I have been much cheered in my work among 
them by finding them all eager for instruction and 
warm-hearted in their reception of the missionary. 

138 



SOWING BESIDE MANY WATERS 

Each day I spent in the Loucheiix camps was like a 
Sunday, as the Indians were clustered around me 
from early morning till late at night, learning 
prayers, hymns, and Scripture lessons as I was 
able to teach them. I never met with so earnest 
desires after God's word, nor have I passed so happy 
a time since I left England ; indeed, I think I may 
say that, had I ever found at home such a warm 
attachment of the people to their minister, and so 
zealous a desire for instruction, I should not have 
been a missionary. These mountain Loucheux 
seem the ' fewest of all people,' but I cannot help 
hoping they are ' a chosen race.' " 

On April 28, 1873, he wrote the following letter 
to his sister in England from Peel River : 

" As I have again an opportunity of writing home, 
I will send a line to tell you that, by God's provi- 
dence, I have been safely preserved during the past 
winter with the Indians in their camps, and walking 
with them over the snow, and that in the coldest 
part of the country and in the coldest season, 
yet I have not suffered from cold, hunger, or 
fatigue. God's good providence has most visibly 
watched over and protected my ways, in answer, I 
suppose, to the prayers of friends at home, and I 
have been much happier the past winter than any 
time previously since I left England. 

" News reaches us this spring that men are to be 
sent here shortly to cut an ox-road across the Rocky 
Mountains, with a view to steamboats being placed 
as soon as possible on the Yukon and Mackenzie 

139 



SOWING BESIDE MANY WATERS 

Rivers, and a communication opened between 
Rupert's Land and the Pacific. It is therefore 
probable that in a few years civilization will reach 
this remotest spot on the earth's surface, and the 
two ends of the earth here meet. I have this winter 
again visited Fort Yukon, where the American 
steamer came again last summer, and thence, via San 
Francisco, you could reach Europe in two months. 

" The Indians here have treated me like Christian 
brothers all winter, and I quite look on them in that 
light. They are all eager for instruction, and warm- 
hearted, so that it is a pleasure to be among them. 
I must have walked more than 1,000 miles among 
the Indians this winter, but that is nothing — not so 
much as I used to walk in a winter in the streets of 
London. On the last day of my winter's marching I 
composed about 200 lines of poetry on the Loucheux, 
which I shall enclose to you. I was walking about 
eighty days, and in camp with the Indians about as 
many. I am now trying to learn a little more 
Eskimo from the interpreter here, though I do 
not know that I shall be able to instruct the Esqui- 
maux at once, as I hope (O.V.) next winter to visit 
Fort Yukon again." 

Later we find Mr. Bompas far west, beyond the 
Rocky Mountains, carrying on his work along the 
Yukon River. Of this he says: 

" There is much that I might tell you of my 
labours. The summer has been spent in visiting all 
the Indians on the Upper Yukon. I am thankful 
to relate that the Word of Life was received with 

140 



SOWING BESIDE MANY WATERS 

penitence and tears. Some of these Indians have 
now been under instruction for nearly ten years, and 
I thought it right to baptize the more advanced of 
them, to the number of thirty-five adults and eighty 
children. Already, I regret to say, has an epidemic 
reached these tribes, and of the newly baptized 
infants, one at least, and perhaps more, has ere this 
been summoned to glory as the first-fruit of this flock 
of lambs freshly gathered into the Saviour's fold. 
Directly my time of instruction with them (the 
fishing for men) was over began the literal fishing 
for salmon, the Indians' harvest here, and they let 
down their nets for what is likely, I think, to be a 
plentiful draught, reminding us of New Testament 
scenes." 

Travelling up the river, he was much pleased 
with the beauty he observed on every hand. 

"It is a splendid river with high wooded hills on 
each bank, occasionally broken into bold and cragged 
rocks. The margin of the river is rather flowery 
with lupins, vetches, bluebells, and other wild- 
flowers ; and I was surprised to see a few ferns in 
the clefts of the rocks, so close to the Arctic circle. 
Gold has not yet been found in the Yukon, but I 
brought down with me good specimens of iron ore, 
of which there seems to be a great quantity close 
to the river's bank. This may some day be 
utilized." 

These words were penned in the summer of 
1873, and what changes this missionary was to see 
before the closing of the century ! Instead of the 

141 H 



SOWING BESIDE MANY WATERS 

iron which he thought " some day would be utilized," 
the gleaming gold would be luring thousands into 
the country. 

Mr. Bompas ascended the Yukon for 300 miles, 
and everywhere he was gladly received by the 
Indians, who gathered around him to hear the 
message he had to deliver. But a change was soon 
to take place in the life of this noble man, and 
while quietly and humbly pursuing his work, a 
letter reached him, summoning him back to England 
to be consecrated Bishop of the huge diocese. To 
the hardships and dangers of travel there was to be 
henceforth added " the care of all the Churches." 



m 



CHAPTER VIII 
HOME AND HONOURS 

(1873-1874) 

" Called to the work and ministry of a Bishop." 

Prayer Book. 

While Mr. Bompas was performing his wonderful 
journeys in the far North, and enduring so many 
hardships for the Master's sake, men no less earnest 
were following his movements and planning and 
praying for the success of the Church in North - 
West Canada. 

Owing to the statesmanlike plans of Bishop 
Machray, of Rupert's Land, it was decided to divide 
the vast district, comprising more than one-half of 
all Canada, into separate dioceses. The Bishop 
realized that more effective supervision was needed 
in the large field, as the distances were too 
great for one man to think of undertaking. The 
distance from the Red River to the farthest posts 
on the Mackenzie River was as great as " from 
London to Mecca," and it would have taken him two 
years to visit the northern posts with profit. Cross- 
ing to England, the Bishop set forth the proposal 

143 H 2 



HOME AND HONOURS 

for the division of his diocese into four parts, which 
was accepted by all concerned. 

" The reduced Diocese of Rupert's Land would 
comprise the new province of Manitoba and some 
adjacent districts ; the coasts and environs of 
Hudson's Bay would form the Diocese of Moosonee ; 
the vast plains of the Saskatchewan, stretching 
westward to the Rocky Mountains, the Diocese of 
Saskatchewan ; and the whole of the enormous 
territories watered by the Athabasca and Mackenzie 
Rivers, and such part of the Yukon basin as was 
within British territory, the Diocese of Athabasca." 

For Moosonee, the veteran missionary, John 
Horden, had been consecrated Bishop in 1872 ; and 
in the following year John McLean, Archdeacon of 
Manitoba, and William Carpenter Bompas were 
summoned home to be consecrated Bishops of the 
new Dioceses of Saskatchewan and Athabasca. 

Mr. Bompas shrank much from the thought of 
becoming a Bishop, and in July, 1873, he set his 
face homewards with the express purpose of turning 
the Church Missionary Society from the idea. It 
was a long journey that lay ahead of him, fraught 
with many dangers and difficulties. The clerk at 
Fort Yukon in charge of the American Fur 
Company's post kindly supplied him with pro- 
visions and with two Indian lads who had volun- 
teered for the trip. Soon all was ready, and then 
the start was made up the Porcupine River, and 
after two weeks of hard and persevering labour he 
reached the Rocky Mountains. Here the Indians 

144 



HOME AND HONOURS 

left him to return to Fort Yukon, and alone and on 
foot the missionary began his journey across the 
mountains. Three days was he in accomplishing 
the task, and in a furious snow-storm, " which 
rendered the mountains almost as white as in 
winter," reached Fort McPherson, Peel River, on 
August 6. 

" The force of the Arctic storm in the mountains," 
says Mr. Bompas, " is greater and less endurable than 
elsewhere — not because the winter temperature is 
more severe on the mountain than below, for it 
is milder on a height, but because the wind is 
more violent, and the snow is whirled with blinding 
fury and freezing bitterness in the face of the 
traveller. 

" Happily, in the mountains there is generally 
some angle or jutting crag where shelter can be had 
from the blast till the storm is past, and if fuel is 
found at the same point Avherewith to kindle a fire, 
the voyager is comfortable. 

" The effect of the sharp frozen snowdrift, blown 
from the mountain-top in the traveller's face, is 
first to make his eyes water, and then eflfectually to 
seal these up, through the freezing of the exuding 
moisture. Frost-bites on the cheeks soon follow, 
and, if travel is continued, these will be running 
with blood. It is in such a case that the expression 
of the Almighty is recognized, ' Who can stand 
before His cold ?' (Fs. cxlvii. 17). 

" When a storm is blowing on the mountains, the 
appearance of these from the distance is as if they 

145 



HOME AND HONOURS 

were fringed with hair, the snowdrift blown in heavy 
clouds from the ridge having such an aspect. . . . 

" Though, while earth remains, winter storms 
will never cease, yet we may well believe that, in 
heaven above, when there shall be no more night 
and no more sea, the surging tempest will sink for 
ever into an unruffled calm ; and the storms of our 
earthly lives are intended to prepare us to enjoy 
more fully that haven of repose." 

Starting again by canoe, with two other Indian 
lads. Fort Simpson, a distance of 800 miles, was made 
on September 2, " after three weeks of fatiguing 
towing." Pushing on his way, after a difficult 
journey, contending with the cold and swift stream, 
he reached Portage la Loche on October 8, having 
travelled 2,600 miles since July, " and all, except 
about 300 to 400 miles, against a strong current." 

Owing to the cold weather he was forced to 
remain at the Portage for ten days, and when the 
swamps were sufficiently frozen he " started on foot 
through the woods to Buffalo Lake in company 
with two servants of the Hudson Bay Company." 
Reaching the lake, he travelled with some difficulty 
on the fresh ice around the margin, and at the 
farther end found a camp of Indians, who guided him 
to Isle h la Crosse. Here a stay of ten days was 
made, and then he left with dogs and sledge for 
Green Lake, with three employes of the Hudson 
Bay Company. The weather becoming milder, they 
were forced " to cross one of the intervening rivers 
on a raft." 

146 



HOME AND HONOURS 

From Green Lake tliey entered " on the plain 
country of the Saskatchewan," and after a walk of 
five days reached Fort Carlton. While here Mr. 
Bompas visited the Prince Albert vSettlement on the 
banks of the North Saskatchewan, and says : " This 
settlement is the first that has been formed b}^ the 
immigrants in that neighbourhood, and it bears 
every sign of increasing prosperity and success." 

From Carlton House, Touchwood Hills was 
reached with a horse and sledge. Here, through the 
kindness of the postmaster, he was furnished with 
a carriole and dogs, and, after a journey of 400 or 
500 miles, reached the Red River Settlement. 

" I enjoyed the kind hospitality of the Bishop 
of Rupert's Land and Archdeacon Cowley," wrote 
Mr. Bompas, " and was much interested in 
seeing the progress of the mission work in the 
colony. I reached, by God's good providence, the 
first houses of the settlement on the last evening of 
the old year, and after nearly six months' travel in 
the wilds, I awoke on New Year's morning to a new 
life of civilization and society." 

It is said that when Mr. Bompas reached the 
episcopal residence and inquired for Bishop 
Machray, the servant mistook him for a tramp (in 
his rough travelling clothes), and told him his 
master was very busy and could not be disturbed. 
So insistent was the stranger that the servant went 
to the Bishop's study and told him a tramp was at 
the door determined to see him. 

" He is hungry, no doubt," replied the Bishop ; 

147 



HOME AND HONOURS 

" take him into the kitchen and give him something 
to eat." 

Accordingly, Mr. Bompas was ushered in, and 
was soon calmly enjoying a plateful of soup, at the 
same time urging that he might see the master of 
the house. Hearing the talking, and wondering 
who the insistent stranger could be, the Bishop 
appeared in the doorway, and great was his astonish- 
ment to see before him the travel- stained missionary. 

"Bompas!" he cried, as he rushed forward, " is 
it you ?" 

We can well realize how Mr. Bompas must have 
enjoyed this little scene, and the surprise of the 
good and noble Bishop of Rupert's Land. 

We will let Mr. Bompas describe the rest of the 
journey : 

" From Manitoba the dog-train was exchanged 
for the stage-coach for Moorhead, the terminus of 
the American railway towards the North- West. In 
this the cold was piercing and freezing, even though 
the travellers were wrapped in bufEalo-skins. The 
poor horses were utterly exhausted in drawing the 
vehicle about fifteen miles through the snow, and 
though changed thus often, yet at last the journey 
had to be suspended during a storm, and in the end 
the horses, though changed every stage, occupied a 
week in performing the same distance as that 
travelled by the dogs in four days, more easily and 
pleasantly — that is, 160 miles. 

" The journey was next continued by railway, 

but from the fires not being lighted in the cars the 

148 



HOME AND HONOURS 

cold was intense, and the train was shortly brought 
to a standstill in a snow-drift. Though two loco- 
motives were tugging at it, no progress could be 
made till the guards with shovels disengaged the 
carriage- wheels from the snow which entangled 
them. 

"In Canada the journey by stage-coach was 
resumed. This was shortly after overturned into 
a ditch by the wayside while scaling a snow-drift. 
The outside passengers were deposited in an 
adjoining field, where, to be sure, the snow pro- 
vided them with a sufficiently soft bed to fall on. 
The inside passengers had a more uncomfortable 
shaking. 

" The journey was next proceeded with by train 
to Montreal, before approaching which the cars left 
the rails, causing some apprehension and delay, 
which might have been increased had not the guard 
been provided with a powerful winch for the 
purpose of replacing the carriages on the track. 

" In passing through Canada, I was much pleased 
with the cities of Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal. 
The first I should consider the pleasantest place of 
residence, but the Parliament buildings and Govern- 
ment offices at Ottawa are very handsome, and 
Montreal shows the greatest activity in business. 
I had the honour of waiting upon the Governor- 
General of Canada, the Metropolitan of Canada, 
the Bishop and the Dean of Toronto, the Deputy 
Minister of the Interior, and others, all of whom 
received me most aiFably. 

149 



HOME AND HONOURS 

" From Montreal, following the Grand Trunk 
Railway to Portland, I embarked in the steamship 
Scandinavian, of the Allan line. At starting, the 
masts, yards, and deck of the steamer presented 
a woeful appearance, from being thickly coated and 
hung with ice, yet 200 miles were made the first 
day. By the constantly increasing head- wind, how- 
ever, the daily speed was decreased down to 100 
miles per day, at which rate the Captain thought it 
prudent to shut off half the steam, and diminish the 
speed to a minimum, for fear that something should 
give way in the plunging vessel. After thirteen 
days, under the careful seamanship of Captain 
Smith, Liverpool was reached on February 13, in 
the safe keeping of a protecting Providence." 

This account is given to show some of the diffi- 
culties the traveller experienced in the early days 
in his trips to and from England. Mr. Bompas, 
after this journey, decided in favour of the dog- 
team. 

"On the whole," he said, "the dogs may be 
counted to hold their own in competing with horse- 
flesh or steam, whether on land or water." 

At last the soldier was home from the front, the 
hero among his friends, and after the years of 
hardships he might have enjoyed a well-earned 
rest. But his thoughts were far away across the 
ocean in his vast field of labour, and the voice of 
the children of the wild was ever urging him to 
make haste. The restraints, conventionalities, and 
luxuries of civilized life worried him ; the narrow- 

150 



HOME AND HONOURS 

ness o£ the streets was unbearable, and he longed 
for the smell of the camp-fire, the free, fresh air of 
the North, the great mi tamed streams, the snow- 
capped mountains, and his dusky flock. 

During his stay in England Mr. Bompas had 
many commissions to fulfil, which occupied much 
of his time. There were purchases to make for 
people in North- West Canada, including six gold 
watches for as many female residents, and a pair 
of corsets for another. Obtaining the latter caused 
much worry to the missionary. But he was never 
known to back down, and finally the purchase was 
made. Is it any wonder that he preferred the life 
among the Indians, who worried so little concerning 
the wherewithal they should be clothed ? 

Mr. Bompas was unsuccessful in dissuading the 
Church Missionary Society from carrying out 
their plan, and on May 3 he and John McLean were 
elevated to the Episcopate. The consecration took 
place in the parish church of St. Mary's, Lambeth, 
Dr. Tait, Archbishop of Canterbury, being assisted 
by Bishop Jackson of London, Bishop Hughes of 
St. Asaph, and Bishop Anderson, late of Rupert's 
Land. The sermon was preached by the last- 
named prelate, who thus referred to the two new 
Dioceses of Saskatchewan and Athabasca : 

" To-day the noble plan will be consummated by 
the consecration of two more Bishops. One will 
preside over the Church in the western portion of 
the land, labouring among the Indians of the plains, 
and along the valley of that river whose source is 

151 



HOME AND HONOURS 

in the Rocky Mountains, the River Saskatchewan. 
The other will have the northern diocese as 
his own, along yet mightier lakes, and with rivers 
which roll down an immense volume and discharge 
themselves into the Arctic Ocean." 

After some words addressed to Bishop McLean, 
the following charge was given to Bishop Bompas : 

" In leaving for the more distant sphere of 
Athabasca, brother, it is to no untried work that 
you proceed. It is matter of very deep interest to 
notice the links in the chain of God's providence 
which has guided you to this hour. Nine years 
ago to-morrow it was my privilege to preach the 
anniversary sermon of that noble Society which 
mainly sends you forth. I had then heard that he 
who was bearing the standard of the Cross in the 
most advanced position of Fort Yukon was sinking 
in rapid decline. I read a touching extract from a 
letter which I had just received from his nearest 
fellow-labourer, in which were these words : 

" * Oh, plead for us, my lord — plead with God for 
men and with men for God, that they may come 
to gather in the harvest here ! The time is short, 
the enemy is active, the Master will soon be here, 
and then blessed will those servants be who are 
found working and watching.' 

" On this I grounded my appeal, and said : 
' Shall the minister fall in the forefront of the 
battle, in the remotest outpost, and shall no one 
come forward to take up the standard of the Lord 
as it drops from his hands, and occupy the ground ?' 

152 



HOME AND HONOURS 

These were the words which commended them- 
selves to your heart. You offered yourself to the 
Society, and within three weeks of your offer you 
were on your way to the far North- West. He 
who was thought to be sick unto death was raised 
up, restored, to find you by his side, ready to aid 
and sustain him in his work. 

" You have been there for more than eight years, 
in labours abundant, and your love has not lessened 
nor your zeal slackened. You have brought home, 
as the fruit of your labour, portions of Scripture, 
prayers, and hymns, in seven different dialects or 
tongues. You are ready to take the precious 
treasure out with you — the translations printed and 
prepared by the Society for Promoting Christian 
Knowledge. You have also one complete Gospel, 
that of St. Mark, which the British and Foreign 
Bible Society has enabled you to carry through 
the press. 

"But you left good treasure behind, in souls 
warmed with the love of Christ and softened by 
the spirit of Grace. You have the hearts of the 
Indians and the Esquimaux." 

But Bishop Bompas was not to return alone to 
his great work, for a few days after his conse- 
cration, May 7, he was united in marriage to Miss 
Charlotte Selina Cox, by Bishop Anderson, assisted 
by the Rev. John Bobbins, Vicar of St. Peter's, 
Notting Hill, and the Rev. Henry Gordon, Rector 
of Harting. 

Mrs. Bompas was a woman of much refinement 

153 



HOME AND HONOURS 

and devotion to the mission cause. Her father, 
Joseph Cox Cox, M.D., of Montague Square, 
London, was ordered to Naples for his health. 
During this trip, in which he was accompanied by 
his family, his daughter, afterwards Mrs. Bompas, 
acquired that love for the Italian language which 
ever after continued to be a great source of 
pleasure to her. No matter where she went in the 
northern wilds of Canada she carried her Dante 
with her, which she studied, with much delight, in 
the original. 

During her stay at Naples she attended her first 
ball given by the British Ambassador, and met the 
King of Naples (the notorious King "Bomba"), 
and often afterwards recalled his remark in Italian, 
" What have you done to amuse yourself at the 
carnival ?" 

When quite young, Mrs. Bompas had little 
interest in missions, and says : " My brother, who 
was Vicar of Bishop's Tawton, Devonshire, used to 
hold missionary meetings at the Vicarage, and I 
remember thinking them the dullest affairs, and 
the clergymen who addressed us, and whom my 
brother, perhaps, would introduce as the distin- 
guished missionary from Japan or Honolulu, I 
looked upon as the most dismal old slow coaches 
it was anyone's unhappy fate to attend to." 

Her interest at length became aroused, and later, 
when the martyrdom of Bishop Patteson startled 
the Christian world, she became much excited, and 
reached, as she tells us, " the enthusiastic stage 

154 



HOME AND HONOURS 

when we resolve to become missionaries ourselves, 
and are all impatient to be off anywhere— to China, 
Japan, or to the Indians of the Mackenzie River." 

Shortly after this she cast in her lot with the 
Bishop of Athabasca, and became " consecrated to 
mission work." 



155 



CHAPTER IX 

THE LONG OUTWARD VOYAGE 

(1874) 

" All we have we offer, 
All we hope to be : 
Body, soul, and spirit, 
All we yield to Thee." 

Thring. 

These words were never better illustrated than in 
the lives of the Bishop and Mrs. Bompas, who on 
May 12, 1874, set their faces towards their great 
field of labour. Friends and loved ones came to 
bid them farewell, among whom was Bishop 
Anderson, late of Rupert's Land, who presented the 
Bishop with a beautiful paten for his cathedral in 
the new Diocese of Athabasca. The good steam- 
ship China^ of the Cunard Line, received them, and 
soon she was cutting her way through the water 
bound for New York. Consecrated, married, and 
sailed all in one week ! Such was the record of the 
Bishop, who declared it was the hardest week he 
ever experienced. Never again was he to look upon 
the shores of his native land, or visit the scenes of 
childhood ; the northern wilds of Canada needed 
him, and there he remained till the last. 

156 



THE LONG OUTWARD VOYAGE 

Accompanying the Bishop and Mrs. Bompas were 
several missionaries, forming in all a most interest- 
ing company : the Rev. Robert Phair (afterwards 
Archdeacon) and Mrs. Phair, Mr. and Mrs. Shaw, 
Mr. and Mrs. Reader, Miss Moore, Mr. Hines, and 
Miss Bompas, eldest sister of the Bishop, who was 
returning to Lennoxville, in the province of Quebec. 

The Bishop was kept busy during the voyage, 
not only in looking after the welfare of his party, 
but also in cheering up the steerage passengers, 
thus making the tedious trip more bearable by his 
words of comfort. 

" A strange motley set were these poor emigrants," 
says Mrs. Bompas, " about 150 in number, some 
whole families — father, mother, and children — 
dragging their thinly filled mattresses alojig with 
them, and all carrying a few tin implements for 
cooking. A number of young girls there were, all 
neatly dressed, with jet-black hair, and a pretty 
scarlet ' snood ' around their heads." 

On Sunday a hearty service was held in the 
saloon, at which most of the passengers and some 
of the seamen were present. The Bishop gave an 
address, and Mrs. Bompas led in the singing of the 
two hymns, " Thou art gone up on high," and 
" Lord, as to Thy dear Cross we flee," in which 
all joined most earnestly. 

Off Newfoundland they encountered icebergs 
and much rough weather, but reached New York 
safely on Whit- Sunday, and attended the morning 
service at St. Mark's Church, where, for the first 

157 I 



THE LONG OUTWARD VOYAGE 

time, the Bishop and Mrs. Bompas knelt together 
and received the Holy Communion. In the evening 
the Bishop preached at the request of the Vicar. 
Here a shadow was cast over the party by the death 
of the Phairs' little child, who caught cold on the 
steamer. 

" I have been in to see it," wrote Mrs. Bompas, 
" lying like a little wax doll, so blessed to see it at 
rest after its sufferings." 

From New York they took the train for Niagara, 
and, having visited the famous waterfall, travelled 
on to Chicago and thence to St. Paul's. After a 
tedious trip they arrived at the Red River, and 
took the heavy, flat-bottomed boat bound for 
Winnipeg, as the village around Fort Garry was 
already called. Slow progress was made up the 
river, and on one occasion the boat stopped to take 
a raft in tow, making the journey very tiresome. 
But the time was whiled away in the study of the 
Indian languages and in reading. 

At length Winnipeg was reached one Sunday 
morning, and the great-hearted leader, Bishop 
Machray, gave them a most cordial welcome. 
Bishop Bompas preached that evening in St. John's 
Cathedral, and public thanks were offered to God 
for their " merciful guidance hitherto." 

During the week Messrs. Shaw and Reader under- 
went their examinations for Deacons' Orders, and 
the next Sunday were ordained in the cathedral. 
Mrs. Bompas describes this service. 

" We started early for St. John's Church, the 

158 



THE LONG OUTWARD VOYAGE 

cathedral of Manitoba. A pretty walk across the 
prairie took us into a neat little square-towered 
church standing near the river. There was a good 
congregation, fairly good choir (the boys of St. 
John's College, which is close to the Bishop's). 
Service nice and quiet. William preached. Bishop 
ordained candidates. After service the Bishop 
invited us into his house to luncheon, so we all 
went, and there were a number of other guests. 
After a short time he came and took me and sat me 
in the seat of honour." 

That evening Bishop Bompas preached in the 
cathedral, and after service Bishop Machray walked 
part of the way home with him and Mrs. Bompas. 
Not until thirty years later did this missionary 
stand in that building again, and then in touching 
words referred to that Sunday and his departed 
friend. 

Ahead of them lay the long journey of two 
months by open boat to Fort Simpson. They had 
missed the boats of the Hudson Bay Company, and 
after some difficulty another was obtained, in the 
hope of overtaking the former. It was a " brilliant 
cloudless " June morning when they crossed the 
prairie towards St. John's Cathedral, and sighted 
the " river looking still and silvery in the morning 
light," and found the boat, their home for weeks to 
come, " moored just below St. John's College." 
Farewells were said, the boat pushed off, and they 
moved on their way, leaving the Bishop of Rupert's 
Land waving his hand from the bank of the stream. 

159 I 3 



THE LONG OUTWARD VOYAGE 

It was a tedious journey, as day after day they 
glided forward. Not only was the heat intense, 
but the swarms of mosquitoes proved a great 
annoyance. 

" I had come prepared for intense cold," wrote 
Mrs. Bompas, "and we were destined to endure 
tropical heat. All up the Saskatchewan, Stanley, 
and English Rivers the banks slope down like a 
funnel, and the July and August sun scorches with 
vertical rays the heads of the travellers. We were 
seated in open boats, each with a crew of ten or 
twelve men, who spread our sails when the wind 
was fair, and took them in when the wind failed us. 
Eighty-six was on some of those days our average 
temperature, and I had come provided with the 
thickest of serge dresses, as none of my friends had 
realized the possibility of anything but frost and cold 
in these northern regions. Besides this, we had to 
encounter swarms of mosquitoes, crowding thick 
around us, penetrating our boots and stockings, and 
invading our robabou soup and pemmican, etc. I 
remember the bliss it was in those days in camping- 
time to escape from the rest of the party, and, 
getting rid of boots and stockings, to sit with my 
feet and legs in the cool water of the river, to soothe 
the intolerable irritation of the mosquito bites." 

But in the midst of all this there were times of 
refreshing, and at various places hearty were the 
greetings that awaited them. One morning they 
reached St. Andrews, on Red River, and there 
before them appeared a pretty stone church, with 

160 



THE LONG OUTWARD VOYAGE 

wide square tower and a comfortable-looking par- 
sonage-house, with a nice veranda, and a few 
scattered cottages around. It was a pleasant home 
scene, and there they found the Vicar, the Rev. 
John Grisdale (afterwards Bishop of Qu'Appelle), 
and about sixty others, who had been waiting all 
the morning to receive them. After luncheon had 
been served a little service was held on the 
veranda, and, as they left, the bell of the church 
rang out a peal of farewell, and all on shore gave 
a hearty cheer. 

Welcome also awaited them at St. Peter's 
Mission, where Archdeacon and Mrs. Cowley 
gladly received them, and at The Pas, where the 
native clergyman, Mr. Budd, was stationed. At 
this latter place service was held in the yard for 
Indians, and the Bishop gave an exposition of the 
Creed in the Cree language. 

All along the way Indians were encountered 
camped on the bank, and at times a halt was made 
while the Bishop spoke a few words to them. One 
night they stopped near a number of natives, and 
service was held. Among the party was a poor 
woman totally blind. The Bishop knelt by her 
side and told her of the blind man in the Gospel 
story, and repeated to her several passages of 
Scripture, to which the woman listened with much 
eagerness, and seemed greatly pleased. 

The many long, hard portages formed a great 
impediment to their progress, and through the 
scorching heat, fighting myriads of mosquitoes, the 

161 



THE LONG OUTWARD VOYAGE 

party had to carry the provisions overland and drag 
the boat up the rapids. The Bishop willingly took 
his share of the labour, and though of great 
strength, overtaxed himself in lifting a heavy box 
and sprained his back, or, rather, re-sprained it, as 
he had been injured some weeks before in hauling 
at the boat. He suffered much agony from the 
sprain, which troubled him somewhat during the 
rest of his life. 

An incident happened on this trip which serves 
to show the Bishop's forgetfulness of self when 
others were to be considered. A young Indian lost 
his hat overboard, and, being unable to obtain it, 
suffered much from the heat as he toiled at the 
oar. The Bishop, seeing his discomfort, at once 
placed his own hat upon the Indian's head, and 
insisted that he should wear it. The sight of the 
native with the flat, broad-brimmed episcopal 
headgear caused great amusement to the entire 
company. 

At Fort Providence they found the Rev. W. D. 
Reeve (afterwards Bishop) and Mrs. Reeve, and 
took them on board. " It was pleasant," wrote 
Mrs. Bompas, " to see the greeting between the 
Bishop and his old colleague." 

On September 24 they came in sight of Fort 
Simpson, and much excitement took place. The 
red flag of welcome was soon hoisted, and Mr. 
Hardisty, the chief ofticer, and the whole settle- 
ment came to the shore to meet them. So hearty 
was the reception that they did not perceive the 

162 ' 




Trout-Si'earers bringing supplies from a Mission Station 
From a photograph taken during a heavy fall of Snow 



THE LONG OUTWARD VOYAGE 

shadow, the grim shadow of starvation, that was 
hanging over the fort and land. There was only 
one week's provisions in the Company's store, and 
game was very scarce. At this point the new party 
arrived, bringing six extra mouths to be fed, besides 
the boat's crew, and yet the Company's officers 
received them with the utmost courtesy and good 
temper, and did their best to look and speak cheer- 
fully. Most of the men around the fort had to be 
sent away, and there was difficulty in collecting dried 
scraps of meat for the wives and children. At 
length there came a time when there was not 
another meal left. The poor dogs hung around 
the houses, " day by day growing thinner and 
thinner, their poor bones almost through their skins, 
their sad wistful look when anyone appeared. Even 
a dry biscuit could not be thrown to them." But 
just when matters reached the worst two Indians 
arrived, bringing fresh meat, and the great tension 
slackened. 

" From that moment," says Mrs. Bompas, " the 
supplies have never failed. As surely as the pro- 
visions got low, so surely, too, would two or 
three sledges appear unexpectedly, bringing fresh 
supplies." 

Little wonder that the Bishop acquired that great 
trust in Providence that caused him to say that 
" a restful trust in Heaven's bounty will lead to a 
cheerful content even in the far North, and make 
a man exult in the consciousness that his God is 
still present with him there." 

165 



CHAPTER X 
BISHOP OF ATHABASCA 

(1874-1876) 

" He bowed himself 
With all obedience to the King, and wrought 
All kind of service with a noble ease, 
That graced the lowliest act in doing of it." 

Tennyson. 

Fort Simpson was chosen by the Bishop as his 
abode at first. It is situated at the confluence of 
the Mackenzie and Liard Rivers, and formed the 
most central and convenient point for managing 
the vast diocese. This position had been occupied 
years before by the Hudson Bay Company, and 
here, in 1859, Mr. Kirkby built the church and 
mission-house. * 

All around stretched the huge diocese of 1,000,000 
square miles — and such a diocese ! It has been well 
described by the Bishop himself in the words which 
follow : 

* In 1874 the mission-house, which had been some distance 
away, was removed to the fort, and another building, given 
by Mr. Hardisty, of the Hudson Bay Company, was placed 
alongside for a schoolhouse. In 1881 these were removed 
from the fort and re-erected near the church. 

166 



BISHOP OF ATHABASCA 

" No shepherd there his flock to fold, 
No harvest waves its tresses gold ; 
No city with its thronging crowd, 
No market with its clamour loud ; 
No magistrates dispense the laws. 
No advocate to plead the cause ; 
No sounding bugle calls to arms, 
No bandits rouse to dread alarms ; 
No courser scours the grassy plain, 
No lion shakes his tawny mane ; 
No carriages for weary feet, 
No wagons jostle in the street ; 
No well- tilled farms, no fenced field, 
No orchard with its welcome yield. 
No luscious fruit to engage the taste, 
No dainties to prolong the feast ; 
No steaming car its weighty load 
Drags with swift wheel o''er iron road ; 
No distant messages of fire 
Flash, lightning-like, through endless wire ; 
No church with tower or tapering spire, 
No organ note, no chanting choir." 

Writing of the extent of his diocese, he says : 
" To represent the length and tediousness of travel 
in this diocese, it may be compared to a voyage in 
a row-boat from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to Fort 
William, on Lake Superior, or a European may 
compare it to a voyage in a canal barge from 
England to Turkey. Both the length and breadth 
of this diocese equal the distance from London to 
Constantinople. 

" If all the populations between London and Con- 
stantinople were to disappear, except a few bands of 
Indians or gipsies, and all the cities and towns were 
obliterated, except a few log huts on the sites of the 
capital cities — such is the solitary desolation of this 

167 



BISHOP OF ATHABASCA 

land. Again, if all the diversity of landscape and 
variety of harvest-field and meadow were exchanged 
for an unbroken line of willow and pine trees — such 
is this country." 

In this region the Bishop and his devoted wife 
began their great work together. At once an 
Indian school was started, carried on at first 
principally by the Bishop himself. Mrs. Bompas 
says : 

" My ears often grew weary of the perpetual 
' ba, be, bo, bu ; cha, che, clio, chu.' These, with a 
few hymns translated into their own language, and 
a little counting, were the first studies mastered by 
our Simpson scholars." 

November 22 was a day long to be remembered 
at the fort, when the first confirmation took place 
in the little church, and four candidates received 
the Apostolic rite. The service was very simple, 
quiet, and impressive, and the church well filled. 
The Bishop gave an earnest address to the candidates 
from Eccles. xii. 1, " Remember now thy Creator 
in the days of thy youth." Outside, the world was 
cold and dismal, but within that little sanctuary in 
the far North there was much warmth and peace. 

The following Sunday another service of great 
interest was held, when the Rev. W. D. Reeve 
was admitted to the priesthood. Such a service 
was never before performed in the diocese, and all 
who attended were much impressed. 

Only a short time could the Bishop spend at Fort 
Simpson ; other places needed his attention, and he 

168 



BISHOP OF ATHABASCA 

had to be much on the move, visiting trading-posts 
and Indian encampments on the various rivers 
and lakes. About 300 miles away was Fort 
Rae, on Great Slave Lake, and the heart o£ the 
missionary yearned for the natives and whites 
gathered there. 

On December 8, with Allen Hardisty, a young 
native who was being trained as a catechist, and 
several men from Fort Rae, the Bishop set out on 
his journey. 

Concerning the preparation for this trip Mrs. 
Bompas gives us the following very interesting 
description : 

" It was a clear, beautiful morning, November 27, 
1874. The great frozen river glittered in the sun- 
shine — not a smooth glassy surface, as you might 
fancy, but all covered with huge boulders of ice, 
and these, again, all thickly strewn with snow. Some 
of these boulders assume grotesque forms — you 
might imagine them great monsters which had 
come up from the river depths — while others look 
like birds, and some, again, have the appearance 
of a beautiful foaming wave, caught by the ice just 
in the act of curling. 

" Here are our ' trippers,' as they are called, and 
all ready to start, and my Bishop in his fur cap and 
warm wraps, which I have made for him. His 
large mittens, formed of deer-skin and fur, are 
suspended from the neck, as is the custom here. 
William takes with him Allen Hardisty, an Indian 
who is being trained as a catechist. He packed the 

169 



BISHOP OF ATHABASCA 

sledges last evening with their bags of clothing 
and provisions for the way — blankets, cooking 
implements, etc. There are the three sledges, and 
the dogs ready harnessed. I am rather proud of my 
' tapis,' which, amid sundry difficulties, I contrived 
to get finished, with some help, in time. Now 
comes the word, ' Off ; all ready !' our farewells are 
said, the drivers smack their whips, the dogs cry 
out and start in full scamper, the trippers running 
by the side of the sledges at such a pace that all 
are soon out of sight." 

The trip was a hard one, and, failing to obtain any 
deer on the way, they struggled on for days without 
provisions, gaining the fort in an almost exhausted 
condition. But what did such sufferings matter to 
the Bishop ? The Indians were reached, and, sitting 
by their camp-fires telling them of the great message 
he had come to bring, he forgot the days of want 
and the weariness of the way.* 

Meanwhile, at the fort, Mrs. Bompas was anxiously 
awaiting the Bishop's return. Mr. Reeve took 
charge of the settlement, while Mr. Hodgson con- 
ducted the Indian school. It was a weary time — a 
time of darkness, for grease had given out, and there 
were few candles, as the deer were very thin. 
Never before had there been such a scarcity. 
Every particle was saved with jealous care, and 
doled out with the greatest caution. 

* In 1876 the Rev. W, D. Reeve and family removed to 
Fort Rae, to establish a mission there. (From notes found 
among Bishop Bompas's papers.) 

170 



BISHOP OF ATHABASCA 

But, notwithstanding the darkness, a cheerful 
time was spent at Christmas, when Mrs. Bompas 
brought in twelve old Indian wives and gave them a 
Christmas dinner. They tried their best to use the 
knives and forks, but at last gave up in despair, and 
had to " take to Nature's implements." 

Then a Christmas-tree — a grand affair — was given 
for the Indian and the white children of the officers 
of the fort. The presents were made by hand, and 
Mrs. Bompas wrote : 

" Years ago, in my childhood, when my busy 
lingers accomplished things of this kind, my dear 
mother used to tell me I should one day be the 
head of a toyshop. How little did she then dream 
in what way her words would be fulfilled ! I actually 
made a lamb — ' Mackenzie River breed ' — all horned 
and woolly, with sparkling black eyes." 

Many were the wonderful things made for that 
tree, and great was the delight of those little dark- 
skinned Indians as they looked upon their first 
Christmas-tree. 

After the excitement had subsided dreary days 
of waiting followed, when one Sunday morning 
bells were heard, and a dog-team swung into the 
fort, and there, to the astonishment of all, appeared 
the Bishop, " with white snowy beard fringed with 
icicles, in a deer- skin coat and beaver hat and 
mittens — a present from Fort Rae." What rejoicing 
there was ! and more rejoicing still when he poured 
into Mrs. Bompas's lap the long-looked-for home 
letters, which had been eight months reaching her. 

171 



BISHOP OF ATHABASCA 

" Dear, precious letters," says the faithful recorder 
of these early days, " for which I had so longed and 
prayed and wept for eight months past. The long 
silence was broken, the electric chain laid down 
between England, Darmstadt, and Fort Simpson !" 

The Bishop lamented that it was impossible in 
such a huge field to carry on systematic work. He 
draws attention to the fact that St. Paul in his great 
journeys " found it possible to found small com- 
munities of Christians in only hasty visits to the 
A^arious cities encountered in his travels. But," he 
adds, " St. Paul's labours were among civilized 
races," and he believed that to work well among 
the Indians a teacher must be " willing to surrender 
his life to a permanent residence in the heathen 
country as an adopted home " — to teach by example 
as well as by precept. But the Bishop became by 
no means discouraged in his efforts, and made 
wonderful journeys in the face of hardships and 
dangers, many of which remain unknown. 

Shortly after his return from Fort Rae an inci- 
dent happened which almost deprived the Church 
of this heroic missionary. He wished to visit Fort 
Norman, some 200 miles farther north of Fort 
Simpson, and made ready to travel in the dead of 
winter with several of the Hudson Bay Company's 
men who were going that way. On the morning of 
the departure Mrs. Bompas went to the Indian camp 
and asked the natives who were to accompany the 
travellers to look after the Bishop. One of the 
boys — Natsatt by name — spoke up and said : 

172 



BISHOP OF ATHABASCA 

" Are we not men ? Is he not our Bishop ? 
Koka " (i.e., " that's enough "). 

And so they started. As a rule, the Bishop was 
a great traveller, always keeping in front of the 
dogs, and running like a deer, with great powers of 
endurance ; but on this occasion he lagged behind 
the sledge, travelling slower and slower all the time. 
Natsatt kept looking back, and when at length the 
Bishop disappeared from sight, he became uneasy, 
and presently said : 

" Me no feel easy. Me not comfortable. 

Leaving the rest of the party, who swung on 
their way, he went back to look for the Bishop ; 
and there he found him helpless in the middle of 
the trail, bent double, with hands on his knees, try- 
ing to walk, having been seized with fearful cramps. 
At once Natsatt rubbed him thoroughly, made a 
fire as quickly as possible, and, after the sufferer 
was well warmed, with a great effort succeeded in 
getting him back to the fort. > The day was 
extremely cold, 40° below zero. A few minutes 
more, and the Bishop would have perished on the 
trail. 

Poor Natsatt, this noble young Indian, several 
years later, while hunting beaver, was drowned. 
He was the only support of his old mother, and was 
also one of the faithful choir members at Fort 
Simpson. 

This story serves to show the affection felt by 
the Indians for their Bishop, and good reason was 
there for this love. He had given up much for 

173 



BISHOP OF ATHABASCA 

them, and in their troubles and sorrows was always 
ready to help. Though his great object was the 
saving of the souls of the natives, yet he believed 
this work could often be helped by caring for their 
bodies. He had never studied at a medical college, 
but his keen powers of observation and the study 
of some of the standard medical books that he had 
always at hand stood him in good stead on many an 
occasion. He had witnessed so often the sufferings 
endured by his flock owing to snow-blindness in the 
spring that when he returned home for consecration 
he took advantage of the visit to attend several 
lectures at an eye hospital, and was henceforth able 
to treat the patients who came to him with splendid 
success. Great was the faith the Indians had in the 
Bishop's healing powers. Only a few years ago an 
Indian along the Yukon Kiver who had been treated 
by the police doctor for some time was heard to say, 
" P'lice doctor no good "; and then with animation 
continued, " Ah ! Beeshop heem moche good !" 

Wherever he went the Indians came to be cured, 
bringing their sick and afflicted, and truly many an 
Apostolic scene was enacted in the great northern 
wilds. Shortly after he was made Bishop he ampu- 
tated a man's leg above the knee, and the operation 
proved most successful. 

The story of poor old Martha is a touching one. 
Her daughter's child, little Tommy — a miserable 
misshapen creature — was very sick. They sent for 
the Bishop, who did all in his power, but in vain : 
the child soon passed away. Through his tender 

174 



BISHOP OF ATHABASCA 

care he won their hearts, and not long after the 
child's death Martha came to him one cold, dark 
night and begged the Bishop " to give her medicine 
to do her heart good ; she had pain there ever since 
Tommy died." And there, in the quietness o£ the 
mission-house, the noble teacher talked with her, 
telling of the great Physician of souls, and sending 
her away comforted. 

Great was the love the Bishop had towards the 
children of his flock, and this love often blinded 
his eyes to many of their imperfections, and at 
times caused him to take part with the children 
against the mission teachers. On one occasion, 
hearing the sobs of a child who was being chastised, 
he marched to the schoolroom door and sought 
admittance. This not being complied with at once, 
with a mighty push he drove open the door, seized 
the child from the teacher's grasp, and, placing it 
upon his knee, began to soothe it with parental 
affection. 

A beautiful scene is that which shows us the 
Bishop seeking for one of his flock, a little girl 
who had wandered into the wilderness. Jeannie de 
Nord was a child of ten years, with a complexion 
scarcely darker than an ordinary English gipsy. A 
rogue she looked, and a little rogue she was, up to 
all sorts of fun and mischief. Her father, old 
De Nord, had left her with an aunt while he went 
away some distance to hunt. The aunt was neglect- 
ful of her little charge, and Jeannie, unable to bear 
this, started in search of her father. So little did 

175 K 



BISHOP OF ATHABASCA 

the aunt care that two days elapsed before the word 
spread that Jeannie was lost. 

No sooner did the Bishop hear of it than, like 
the true shepherd he was, he started with others in 
search of the little wanderer. They pushed on 
over the snow, following the girl's tracks, for she 
had taken her snow-shoes with her. She had no 
food or blanket, and the nights were cold, and 
starving wolves roamed the forests. And where 
was Jeannie ? She had reached her father's aban- 
doned camp one night, cold and tired. Groping 
about, she found his gun, which had been left there, 
and with the cunning of the wild she discharged 
the weapon, and from the spark thus obtained 
started a Hre, which kept her warm through the 
night. All the next day she wandered in vain, 
searching for her father, and, tired and hungry, 
crept back to the abandoned camp and fell asleep. 
It was in the night that the rescue-party drew near, 
and some distance away discharged a gun to attract 
the girl's attention. Jeannie heard the report, and, 
thinking it was her father coming back, with a sigh 
of relief fell asleep again on her cold bed. When 
she next opened her eyes, it was to see standing 
before her the tall figure of the anxious Bishop, 
and to feel his strong loving arms around her as he 
lifted her from the ground, while the only word 
she uttered was " Ti tin die " (z.e., " I am hungry "). 

The shepherd had found the lost lamb, but oh, 
at what a cost ! The Bishop's clothes were soaking 
from the overflowing streams they had crossed as 

176 



BISHOP OF ATHABASCA 

they wandered about, and he could hardly reach 
Fort Simpson, so great were the cramps which 
seized him, and for days he endured great suffering. 
But what did it matter ? Little Jeannie de Nord 
was safe, and none the worse for her experience. 

Four years later the Bishop was called upon to 
lay poor Jeannie to rest. Her father made her 
work harder than she was able. One day she 
started with the dogs and sledge for the woods, to 
bring in a deer her father had killed. The journey 
was a long one, and when she returned to the camp 
tired out she complained of not feeling well, and, 
lying down on her bed of brushwood, died the next day. 

Such a scene as this wrung the Bishop's heart, 
and he did all in his power to bring the little ones 
into the mission-schools, where they could receive 
proper care. An interesting sight it was to see 
this shepherd returning from some long trip, 
bringing with him several wild, dirty little natives 
for his school. 

Not only did the Bishop bring the Indian children 
into the mission-school, but time and time again he 
and Mrs. Bompas received some poor little waif as 
their own. A few years after his consecration little 
Jenny, a mere babe, was thus taken to their hearts. 
She came to them, so Mrs. Bompas tells us, 

" At holy Christmas-tide, 
When winter o'er our northern home 
Its lusty arms spread wide ; 
When snow-drifts gathered thick and deep, 
Winds moaned in sad unrest. 
My little Indian baby sought 
A shelter at my breast." 

177 K 2 



BISHOP OF ATHABASCA 

Upon this child they bestowed their affection ; 
but, alas ! notwithstanding the greatest care, it 
gradually wasted away. Long and patiently they 
watched by its side, and did everything possible 
to alleviate its sufferings. It was a sad day to 
them both when the little one passed away. 

Some time later another was received into their 
home and hearts. This was Owindia (" The 
Weeping One "), who was baptized Lucy May. A 
terrible tragedy had been enacted at one of the 
Indian camps, from which the babe had been 
marvellously rescued. Her mother had been cruelly 
murdered by an angry husband, and as there was 
no one to care for her, the Bishop and Mrs. Bompas 
took the motherless child. Great was the joy they 
received from the little one, and, with much pride, 
several years later she was taken to England, where 
she died some time after. Mrs. Bompas beautifully 
tells the story of this waif in her little book, 
" Owindia." 



178 



CHAPTER XI 
A SYNOD IN THE WILD 

(1876) 

" Do Thou in ever-quickening streams 
Upon Thy saints descend, 
And warm them with reviving beams, 
And guide them to the end." 

As soon as possible after his consecration Bishop 
Bompas began to organize the forces at his com- 
mand, and made preparations for the holding of a 
Synod. But his men were few and far removed, 
and months passed before word reached them at 
their distant posts. At last the difficulty was over- 
come, and on September 4, 1876, the first Synod 
of the vast diocese was held at Fort Simpson. 

The general idea of a Synod is a large city, 
splendid church or cathedral, enthusiastic gather- 
ings of earnest people, hearty services, imposing 
processions, and learned discussions, where 

" Grey champions bowed and thoughtful, 
Young knights of mettle fine, 
Meet as of old in councils vast, 
Grave questions to define.*" 

179 



A SYNOD IN THE WILD 

But reverse all this, and behold a Hudson Bay post 
in the northern wilds along the great Mackenzie 
River, a few houses clustered together, a small 
church, a congregation composed mostly of Indians, 
and a Bishop with only three clergy, besides a few 
schoolmasters and catechists. 

Though small, it was still an interesting assem- 
blage which met on that early September day, 
unlike any Synod ever before held. Foremost of 
the three clergy was the Ven. Archdeacon Robert 
McDonald,* who had come from Fort McPherson, 
on Peel River. Noble champion of the faith, he 
had endured more than all the rest in sickness and 
hardships for the Master's sake. Next came the 
Rev. W. D. Reeve, who at that time was steadily 
making his mark in the great work, and upon whom 
in after-years devolved the care of the Churches in 
the diocese of Mackenzie River. The third was 
the Rev. Alfred Garrioch, recently ordained. Be- 
sides these there were Messrs. Allen Hardisty and 
William Norn, catechists, and George Sandison, a 
servant of the Hudson Bay Company. 

There were many things to consider at this 
meeting. In August, 1875, the first provincial 
Synod of the ecclesiastical province of Rupert's Land 
had been held at Winnipeg, and the Bishop wished 
to confirm the resolutions then made. There were 
also questions to discuss concerning each post, and 
many details to be considered. But the most 

* Appointed Archdeacon in 1875. (From notes among 
the Bishop's papers.) 

180 



A SYNOD IN THE WILD 

important work of this Synod was the division of 
the diocese into four parts. The Bishop found it 
impossible to be always at hand to settle any 
question that might arise in the remote portions 
of his field. The year previous to this meeting he 
had traversed, so he tells us, " the extreme breadth 
of the diocese from north-west to south-east, a 
distance of about 2,000 miles, covering, in going 
and returning, about double that distance, and 
visiting all the mission-stations and other posts on 
the route. 

" These extended travels," he said, " prove incon- 
sistent with domestic life, and Mrs. Bompas, })eing 
left alone in the rigorous climate, and among the 
sometimes chill hearts of our northern clime, has 
lost her health from exposure to cold and insufficient 
food. There is no doubt that the domestic hearth, 
when it can be had, will convey Christian lessons to 
the Indians."* 

The arrangement of the force under the Bishop's 
command at this time was as follows : 

1. Tukudh Mission. — Rampart House, Mr. K. 
McDonald, catechist ; La Pierre's House, Henry 
Venn, native catechist ; Fort McPherson, Peel 
River, Archdeacon Robert McDonald, missionary. 

2. Mackenzie River Mission. — Fort Norman 
(Trinity Mission), Mr. J. Hodgson, schoolmaster ; 
Fort Simpson (St. David's), the Bishop, missionary ; 
Mr. Alfred Garrioch, catechist. 

3. Great Slave Lake Mission. — Fort Rae, Rev. 

* Archdeacon McDonald in a letter to the writer. 
181 



A SYNOD IN THE WILD 

W. D. Reeve, missionary ; Hay River Fort, Mr. 
William Norn, catechist. 

4. Athabasca Mission. — Fort Chipewyan, Rev. A. 
Shaw, missionary ; Mr. Allen Hardisty, catechist ; 
Fort Vermilion, Mr. G. Garrioch, catechist. 

These were the workers scattered over the vast 
diocese, and after careful consideration the follow - 
mg plan was agreed upon : 

To the Rev. R. McDonald was entrusted the 
Tukudh Mission, in the extreme north-west, on the 
Yukon and its tributaries ; to the Rev. W. D. 
Reeve, the Mackenzie River Mission ; the Great 
Slave Lake Mission to the schoolmasters ; while 
the Bishop kept the Athabasca Mission, comprising 
the southern district and the Peace River, to him- 
self. 

At this time the estimated population of the 
diocese was 10,000, of whom half were Roman 
Catholics, 3,000 with the Church of England, and 
the remainder heathen. The Bishop had 100 
children in the various schools, and the same number 
of communicants. 

But it was not all business that was carried on at 
this first diocesan Synod ; there was something of a 
very different nature, and that was the charge given 
by the Bishop to his little band of men. Portions 
of it must be set down here, not only for its inter- 
esting and instructive nature, but because it is the 
only address delivered by the Bishop to his clergy 
of which we have any record. 

" 1. At this, our first meeting in diocesan Synod," 

182 



A SYNOD IN THE WILD 

he began, " it is right that I should congratulate 
you on the band of union which this Synod forms, 
to link us not only to one another, but also (through 
our connexion with the newly formed province of 
Rupert's Land) first with Manitoba and the whole of 
the North- West Territories, and more remotely with 
the Churches of Canada and England. 

" 2. The Right Rev. Bishop Machray, as our 
Metropolitan, forms the connecting-link between 
the four dioceses of Manitoba and the North-West 
Territories, while the Archbishop of Canterbury, 
being our Primate, assures us that our connexion 
remains unbroken with the ancient Mother Church of 
England. Again, the Church of the Dominion of 
Canada, containing now two ecclesiastical provinces 
(a northern and a southern), should not be considered 
as disunited but connected by the arrangement, 
just as the two provinces of the English Church 
(a northern and a southern), at York and Canterbury, 
offer no obstacle to, but only complete the union of, 
the Church of England as an undivided whole. 

" 3. It is also a matter for congratulation, in 
these dangerous times, that, by the provisions of our 
provincial Synod, our Church is secured in safe 
attachment to the faith and formularies of the 
Church of England, which all must admit to be 
Scriptural and moderate. At the same time we are 
happy in being removed by distance from the con- 
troversies at home." 

After speaking at length about the contention 
between the Church of England and the Roman 

183 



A SYNOD IN THE WILD 

Catholic Church in his diocese, the Bishop con- 
tinued : " The day of trial, we are assured, shall 
declare who amongst the builders of Christ's Church 
has wrought with God's own materials, the gold, 
silver, and precious stones of His holy word ; and 
who, on the other hand, have used the wood, hay, 
and stubble of man's invention. ' If any man's 
work abide, he shall receive a reward. . . .' It is 
important for us to see that our own work be deep 
and thorough. Let us not accept any as Christian 
converts in connexion with our mission but such as 
we believe to have been the subjects of a real 
change of heart by the grace of Christ and His 
Holy Spirit. Others must, of course, be admitted 
to instruction, and from such an endeavour should 
be made to select those whose hearts are touched to 
form a band of inquirers for more careful and 
constant training with prayer and pains. 

" 4. The most common and the most open vices 
of the Indians, and those which seem to keep them 
most from the reception of the Gospel, are the 
practices of gambling, conjuring, and impurity. 
To their abandoning of these habits, therefore, our 
efforts should be specially directed, and no Indian 
should be considered as a Christian convert until he 
has entirely abandoned them. Dishonesty also, 
although not originally habitual to the Indians, has 
now become very general with those about the 
forts, and efforts should be made to check it. 

" 5. The practice, which it would be wrong to 
discontinue, of baptizing all the Indian children 

184 



A SYNOD IN THE WILD 

who are brought to us for the purpose throws upon 
us a great obligation to provide for them, as they 
grow up, instruction in the Christian faith. It 
seems impossible, at present, to keep the Indian 
children regularly at school in any numbers, and 
the only alternative seems to be to arrange a short 
form of elementary instruction, which shall be 
sj^stematically taught to the children by rote at 
their camps, or whereve- opportunity may offer. 

"6. It is a melancholy fact that there is still but 
one completed church in our diocese, and this, 
though more than two years have now elapsed since 
a grant of £500 was offered us by the Society for 
Promoting Christian Knowledge for erecting addi- 
tional churches. The school-church at Fort 
Norman is, however, now approaching completion. 
Let us all make an effort to have some plain build- 
ings erected at our different mission-stations for 
Christian worship. The House of God is the chief 
visible sign which we are still allowed to retain of 
God's presence amongst us, and I take it to be of 
great importance that the heathen should be re- 
minded, by this constant memorial before their eyes, 
that the introduction of Christianity into their 
country by the missionaries is a reality, and more 
than a mere tale ; and I do not know of any way 
in which we may better seek to call down a Divine 
blessing on the land in which we live than by 
exerting ourselves for the erection of places of 
worship in the name of the Saviour whom we serve. 
All might do something in this matter by providing 

185 



A SYNOD IN THE WILD 

us with labour, materials, or furniture for the new 
churches. 

" 7. Our plans for education, in which I have been 
interested ever since my arrival in the country eleven 
years ago, have also proved hitherto partly abor- 
tive, and I take this to be a lesson that, in mis- 
sionary work, efforts for education must follow and 
not precede the work of evangelization. Meantime 
the missionaries themselves have to undertake 
educational duties. I am still, however, earnestly 
desirous that at least one school be formed in the 
diocese, where the elements of a sound English 
education for children should at all times be pro- 
curable. It is very desirable that this subject be 
further considered by us in Synod and private 
conference, with the hope, by God's help, of 
arriving at last, by perseverance, at some successful 
scheme of education. 

" 8. Economy of funds and scarcity of provisions 
oblige us at present to confine our mission agents 
and stations to as few in number as possible. The 
stations proposed to be occupied at present are 
the Forts Vermilion, Chipewyan, Rae, Simpson, 
Norman, McPherson, and Rampart House, at each 
of which it is earnestly desired that a church may 
be erected. 

" 9. I am glad to be able to testify, in returning 
from my recent journey, that the Indians of the 
Tukudh Mission are making fair progress in 
Christian instruction. I had the pleasure of ad- 
ministering the rite of Confirmation to more than 

186 



A SYNOD IN THE WILD 

one hundred of them. At Fort Norman, also, I 
was pleased to find among the Protestant Indians 
a readiness to learn. At Fort Simpson I was very 
pleased to find, during the first winter after my 
return from England, a marked increase of atten- 
tion and attachment to our mission among all 
resident at the fort. I cannot feel, however, that 
this has been sustained as I could have hoped 
during the past winter ; but I would trust the 
Christian spirit among jou may now be revived and 
increased again. At Fort Chipewyan I am glad 
to hear of a regular attendance at Divine service, 
and at Fort Kae of a spirit of inquiry among the 
Indians. I would fain hope that the eflforts now 
making to extend and strengthen our mission in 
the southern portion of the diocese may be per- 
manently successful." 

When the Synod ended the little band of workers 
had to hurry away to their distant posts, as winter 
was fast approaching. And away, too, went the 
Bishop. There were stations to visit which needed 
his attention, and he was delayed for some time. 
On his return in November he found Mrs. Bompas 
quite ill. Concerning the Bishop's return Mrs. 
Bompas speaks in her journal of that time : 

" On the 11th I was in bed, feeling very poorly 
and distressed, a bad headache in addition to my 
other pains, when suddenly, about 4 o'clock p.m., 
my French girl (whom I had got over from the 
French Mission to help me in my extremity) went 
to the window, hearing the sound of sledge bells. 

187 



A SYNOD IN THE WILD 

In another moment she turned quickly to me and 
said, ' C'est votre mari, madame.' Never shall I 
forget that moment of joy and thankfulness. He 
was at my bedside the next instant, looking so well 
and handsome, his beard all hoary with frost, in 
fur cap, mittens, and deer-skin coat, etc., etc. 
Almost from the moment he arrived he set to work 
to make me more comfortable. My room hitherto, 
I confess, had been very cold and comfortless, and 
I seemed to have no strength to make it less so. 
But now every day seemed to take something off 
my burden and anxieties. Oh, it seemed impossible 
to be thankful enough ! I could only lie in my 
weakness and pray to be more thankful." 

That sickness, which was so hard to bear, was in 
reality a blessing in disguise, as after-events proved 
conclusively. 

With the opening of navigation Mrs. Bompas 
started on her long journey of over 1,000 miles 
to Winnipeg. Of this trip she wrote : 

" I am thankful to have come to the end of my 
long journey from Athabasca, which, by God's 
mercy, I accomplished with less fatigue than I 
anticipated. I met with much kindness on my way 
at the various mission-stations, and also at the 
Company's forts, and I visited many Indian camps, 
where one seldom fails to meet with a hearty 
welcome. Sometimes I had prayers with some of 
the women and children in my tent. They seem 
to like to come, and enjoy singing hymns. . . . 
My boat's crew from Isle a la Crosse to Cumber- 

188 



A SYNOD IN THE WILD 

land was composed of Stanley men, and a more 
orderly, well-conducted set I never saw. They had 
a nice little service every morning and evening 
among themselves, which I always attended ; it 
consisted of a hymn (beautifully sung in parts), a 
few words of Scripture, and a few of the Church 
prayers. Some days the poor men were quite worn 
out with hard work at the portages, and for two 
days their provisions ran short and they were 
nearly starving, but they sang their hymn and had 
their prayers without fail, and when relief came in 
the shape of two canoes bringing bags of flour and 
pemmican, their shout of delight, I think, must 
almost have reached Salisbury Square. . . . 

" I came with the Governor-General from the 
Grand Rapids. His Excellency and Lady DufFerin 
were kind enough to invite me to join their party, 
as they heard that I was anxious to get on. 

" I am thankful to find all my powers gradually 
returning, and the state of woeful emaciation to 
which I was reduced giving way under the influ- 
ences of milk and other luxuries, of which I was 
deprived at Athabasca. I deplore my having to 
leave my work so soon, but I earnestly trust in 
God's mercy to bring me back to it again in the 
early spring." * 

* Church Missionary Society Gleaner, January, 1878. 



189 



CHAPTER XII 
A RACE WITH WINTER 

(1877-1878) 

" The watery deep we pass, 
With Jesus in our view ; 
And through the howling wilderness 
Our way pursue." 

Thring. 

While Bishop Bompas was carrying on his steady 
work along the great inland streams, a storm was 
brewing in an active mission centre on the Pacific 
coast. Mr. Duncan, who had been sent out by the 
Church Missionary Society, was working among the 
Indians at Metlakahtla with good results. Bishop 
Hills, of Columbia Diocese, several times visited the 
settlement, and baptized a large number of converts. 
But Mr. Duncan objected to the Indian Christians 
being prepared for Confirmation, thinking they 
would make a fetish of it. Time and time again 
the Church Missionary Society sent out ordained 
men to Metlakahtla, but Mr. Duncan would not 
listen to them, and remained most headstrong in his 
views. Matters thus reached a climax. Bishop 
Hills well knew if he visited Metlakahtla it would 

190 



A RACE WITH WINTER 

only add fuel to the flames, as Mr. Duncan, for 
certain reasons, had taken a dislike to him. He 
therefore acted a wise part, and wrote to Bishop 
Bompas, asking him to go to Metlakahtla as 
arbitrator. 

It was late in the season when the letter reached 
the Bishop, but without delay he prepared for the 
trip. At any season it was a great undertaking, but 
at that time of the year the difficulty was very much 
increased. In a direct line the journey was a long 
one, but to reach the coast the distance had 
to be lengthened by a circuitous route over rivers, 
lakes, portages, and mountain summits. 

Then, winter was upon them. 

"All the latter part of September," wrote the 
Bishop, " the frost and snow had been more severe 
than I had ever known it before at the same season, 
so the winter had decidedly the first start in our 
race." 

It was a cold, frosty day, that 8th of October, 
1877, when the Bishop left Dunvegan in a stout 
canoe with several Indians on his long race to the 
coast against stern Winter. For five days they 
moved up the river, contending with drifting ice 
which met them coming out of " tributary streams," 
and on the 13th Fort St. John was reached, where 
they " were kindly entertained for the Sunday by 
the officer in charge " of the Hudson Bay post. 
From this point they left winter " behind for a fort- 
night, and were fairly ahead in the race." But 
every day they expected to be overtaken by their 

191 L 



A RACE WITH WINTER 

competitor, and arose from their " couches anxiously 
every morning, foreboding signs of ice or snow." 

Rocky Mountain House was reached on the 17th, 
where a large band of Indians was found assembled. 
The Bishop lost no opportunity of speaking a word 
to the natives wherever he met them, and the seed 
thus sown bore much fruit in after-years. For the 
first time he found no sickness in the camps, which 
fact he attributed " to their unusually liberal use of 
soap and water, as compared with the tribes farther 
north." 

Ahead of them was the Peace River Canyon, and, 
after making a land portage of twelve miles to 
avoid this dangerous spot, they again proceeded by 
canoe. But the work was becoming harder all the 
time. The current was very swift, and the canoe 
had to be poled all the way. In trying to ascend 
the Parle Pas Rapids, the current was so " strong 
that their canoe turned on them, and was swept 
down the stream, but, being a large one, descended 
safely." 

" On the very morning that we left Parsnip 
River," wrote the Bishop, " the ice began again to 
drift thickly to meet us, and had we been only a few 
hours later, we might have been inconvenienced by 
it, showing us that stern Winter was still on our track. 

" Most of the time that we were passing through 
the gorge of the Rocky Mountains the weather was 
foggy, but when the mist cleared we saw the bold 
crags and hilly heights closely overhanging the 
river in snowy grandeur. The mountain terraces 

192 



\ 1 



A RACE WITH WINTER 

and picturesque scenery on this route have been 
described by Canadian explorers." 

For eleven days the Bishop and his men poled 
their craft against the stream, and, with many 
dangers passed, reached McLeod's Lake Fort on 
October 29. Here they were hospitably received 
by Mr. McKenzie, the officer in charge, and an 
opportunity was given to see the Indians who were 
at the fort. A rest of two days was made here, and 
then they started across the lake. This was a 
difficult task, as the ice was beginning to stretch 
from shore to shore, and they had to force their 
way as best they could around the corner of the 
solid mass. 

From Lake McLeod a long portage of eighty 
miles was made over frozen ground to the beautiful 
sheet of water known as Stuart Lake, on the shore 
of which the officer at Fort St. James gave them a 
hearty welcome. Here the Bishop was on historic 
ground. Seventy- one years before those famous 
explorers, Simon Fraser and John Stuart,* dis- 
covered the lake which took the name of the 
latter. Fort St. James, which was erected on its 
banks " long before Victoria and New Westminster 
had been called into existence," was the regular 
capital of British Columbia, " where a representa- 
tive of our own race ruled over reds and whites." t 

* " History of the Interior of British Columbia," by the 
Rev. A. G. Morice. 

f John Stuart was Lord Strathcona's uncle, and was largely 
instrumental in bringing the young Scotchman to Canada in 
1838. 

193 L 2 



A RACE WITH WINTER 

A stay of four days was made at this place, 
during which time heavy snow-storms raged over 
the land and ice began to form in the lake, which 
threatened to bar further progress. This body of 
water, which is about fifty miles in length, had to be 
traversed, and the Indians refused to make the long 
journey at that season and in such weather. During 
the delay the Bishop was invited to hold Divine 
service at the fort on Sunday. Never before had 
the place " been visited by a Protestant missionary, 
the Roman Catholics only having laboured in the 
region, and Mr. Hamilton, the Hudson Bay Com- 
pany's chief officer there, brought up a family of 
ten children, without having for more than twenty 
years any opportunity of seeing a Protestant 
minister." 

After much difficulty the Indians were persuaded 
to go forward, and, leaving Fort St. James on 
November 7, arrived at Fort Babines, on the lake 
of the same name, on the 14th, after encountering 
a furious snow-storm on the way. The Babine 
Indians in this region, being all Roman Catholics, 
were naturally suspicious of a Church of England 
missionary. " However," said the Bishop, " they 
treated us well." 

From Fort Babines they started on the land-trail 
over the mountains to Skeena Forks. This was a 
difficult undertaking, and winter overtook them once 
again. At the beginning of the portage, the snow 
was several inches deep, and as they ascended the 
mountain it deepened continually, till they were 

194 



A RACE WITH WINTER 

forced to dig out their camps, " to sleep in a foot 
and a half of snow, and without snow-shoes the 
walking was heavy. We were invading Winter's 
own domain," continued the Bishop, " and it was 
little wonder if he was severe with us." 

On descending the western slope the next 
morning, the snow diminished rapidly, and they 
" camped at night in the grass without a vestige of 
snow remaining, and only saw stern Winter frowning 
down from the heights behind." 

Having reached the Skeena Forks, they were given 
a hearty welcome by Mr. Hankin, who informed 
the Bishop that, till the previous year, the Skeena 
River had never been known to continue open so 
late, being generally frozen the first week in 
November, and now it was the 17th. The next day 
the descent of the Skeena was begun by canoe, in 
fear and trembling, lest the ice might " drift down 
from behind." And the race began in earnest, for 
a heavy snow-storm swept over the land, and Winter 
once more made a last effort to block them. But 
through the tempest sped the determined missionary, 
and to his joy found that, on nearing the coast, the 
mild breezes of the Pacific were too much for grim 
Winter, and he steadily retreated, leaving the little 
party unscathed. 

On November 23 Port Essington, at the mouth 
of the Skeena, was reached, and after spending one 
night there with Mr. Morrison, the Bishop pro- 
ceeded " twenty-five miles by canoe along the coast 
to the north to Metlakahtla, which he reached on 

195 



A RACE WITH WINTER 

the 24th, " this being the tenth canoe," he remarks, 
" that we had sat in since leaving Dunvegan." 

Mr. Duncan cordially welcomed the traveller, 
and 124 of the Christian Indians were confirmed 
and communicants' classes formed. Mr. (afterwards 
Archdeacon) Collison received both Deacon's and 
Priest's Orders, and was placed in pastoral charge of 
Metlakahtla. Thus it looked as if the Bishop's 
visit would bring about a lasting peace ; but, alas ! 
after he left the condition of affairs became as they 
were before, and the history of the struggle that 
followed is a sad one. 

Bishop Bompas spent four months on the coast, 
making several trips in canoes to visit the Indians 
at various places. His visit was very beneficial, 
and he wrote that he felt " a good deal invigorated 
both in body and mind by the change, and not at all 
loath to return to the more northern regions, which 
seem to me much less isolated and inaccessible now 
that I have made the connexion between them and 
the wild western slopes of the Pacific. It had long 
been my expectation that Athabasca and Mackenzie 
districts would gradually become more approachable 
from the west, and this idea is now confirmed." 

The Venerable Archdeacon Collison, of the Diocese 
of Caledonia, writes from Kincolith, Naas Mission, of 
the visit of Bishop Bompas to the Pacific coast : 

" It was Mr. Morrison who met the Bishop on his 
arrival at Port Essington after what he described as 
' A Race with Winter ' down the Skeena. He was 
so travel-worn that Mr. Morrison mistook him for a 

196 



A RACE WITH WINTER 

miner as he disembarked from the canoe. ' Well, 
said he, ' what success have you had ?' The Bishop 
replied that he had been fairly successful, evidently 
relishing the joke. Just then Mr. Morrison saw 
the remains of his apron, and, recollecting that he 
had heard that a Bishop was expected at Metlakahtla 
from inland, exclaimed, ' Perhaps you are the Bishop 
who I heard was expected ?' ' Yes,' replied the 
Bishop, ' I am all that is left of him.' He remained 
at Metlakahtla that winter, where he succeeded in 
confirming a large number of candidates. By the 
first steamer in spring he came over to me on 
Queen Charlotte's Island, at Massett. I had a little 
bedroom specially prepared for him in the new 
mission- house, but he preferred lying down on the 
floor, as he said he was not accustomed to sleeping in 
rooms. He was about to lie down just across the 
doorway when I begged him to take another position, 
as he might be disturbed by some one entering late 
or early. 

" I returned with him to the mainland on the 
steamer. We went up together to the Naas River 
by canoe, a voyage of some fifty miles to Kincolith. 
The owner of the canoe, who was a chief, was 
steering, and I was seated near him towards the 
stern, whilst the Bishop was seated forward. As 
the Bishop raised his arms in paddling, in which 
we were all engaged, it revealed a long tear in the 
side of his shirt. Suddenly the chief asked me in 
a low tone in Tsimshean, ' Why is the chief's shirt 
so torn ?' I replied : ' He has been a long time 

197 



A RACE WITH WINTER 

travelling through the forest.' He was dressed 
very roughly, and wore a pair o£ moccasins. When 
we reached Kincolith, he purchased a coarse pair 
of brogans in the little Indian store there. He was 
in the habit of sitting, after the others had finished 
their meal, eating a small piece of dry yeast-powder 
bread, baked by Mrs. Tomlinson or one of her 
Indian girl boarders, and he would exclaim, ' How 
sweet this bread is to my taste after roughing it so 
long on the trails !' He informed us of the privations 
both missionaries and Indians had endured owing 
to scarcity of food during certain seasons, on 
more than one occasion having had to boil and 
eat the skins of the animals that had been caught 
in the hunt for their furs. I ventured to suggest to 
him that this might be avoided if they eould only 
grow potatoes and pit them securely. We had 
taught our Indians to do this. The Bishop feared 
they would not mature in his diocese, but promised 
to remember it. Afterwards I was informed he 
had introduced the potato with success. 

" The Rev. R. Tomlinson and I accompanied the 
Bishop when he started to return to the head of 
canoe navigation on the Naas River, and some 
distance on the trail. We had a prayer-meeting at 
the point where we separated in the forest, in which 
we joined in prayer for needful blessings — the 
Bishop for us and God's work in our hands, and 
we for him in his journey and labours for the Lord. 
He gave away his great-coat and a pot to the 
Indians, and started on the second stage of his 

198 



A RACE WITH WINTER 

return journey accompanied by one young 
Indian." 

While on the coast it was but natural that his 
thoughts should wander to his native land. 

"From the Pacific coast," he wrote, "a few 
weeks would have taken me to England or any 
part of the civilized world ; but I preferred to 
return north without even visiting the haunts of 
civilization (except so far as the Indians are culti- 
vated at our missions), on the ground that such a 
visit renders the mind unsettled or disinclined for a 
life in the wilds." 

Brave soldier of the Cross, how willing he was 
to sacrifice anything for the Master's cause ! 
Leaving the coast, he started in the spring up the 
Skeena River, and once again plunged into the 
wilderness among his dusky flock. 



199 



CHAPTER XIII 
ONWARD AND UPWARD 

(1878-1884) 

" The labourers are few, the field is wide, 
New stations must be filled, and blanks supplied."" 

J. BORTHWICK. 

The Bishop reached Fort St. John, on the Peace 
River, during the latter part o£ April, and remarked 
that his trip from the coast was " unmarked by 
special interest, though not without much assistance 
by a kind Providence." He was much interested 
in the lava plain on the Naas River, " about twelve 
miles square, caused by a volcanic eruption from a 
neighbouring mountain. The Indian tale is," wrote 
the Bishop, " that some cruel children, playing at the 
mouth of a small stream, were catching the salmon, 
and, cutting open their backs, put stones in them 
and let them go again. The Good Spirit, being 
angry, set the river on fire, and burnt up the 
children, and the lava plain remains as the memento. 
I could not help thinking it a mercy, when I heard 
the tale, that some of our London urchins have 
never yet set the Thames on fire!" 

200 



ONWARD AND UPWARD 

Seldom did the Bishop refer to the legendary lore 
of the Indians, with which he must have been most 
familiar, except " to point a moral," and never " to 
adorn a tale." 

Upon reaching his own diocese, sad news met him 
of a terrible famine which had ravaged his flock 
the previous winter. Food was scarce, " owing to 
the extreme mildness of the season interfering with 
the chase, and the mission supplies having failed to 
reach there in the fall." Mrs. Bompas was not in 
the country, for which the Bishop was most thank- 
ful ; but his heart was sore over the suffering, not 
only of the Indians, but of the missionaries at the 
various posts. He gives a graphic picture of the 
sufferings endured in the diocese. 

" Horses were killed for food, and furs eaten at 
several of the posts. The Indians had to eat a good 
many of their beaver-skins. Imagine an English 
lady taking her supper off her muff. The gentle- 
man now here with me supported his family for 
a while on bear-skins. These you see at home 
mostly in the form of Grenadier caps. Can you 
fancy giving a little girl, a year or two old, a piece of 
Grenadier's cap, carefully singed, boiled and toasted, 
to eat ? Mr. McAulay's little girl has not yet 
recovered from the almost fatal sickness that 
resulted. The scarcity brings out the strange con- 
trast between this country and others. Elsewhere 
money 'answereth all things,' and among India's 
millions half a million sterling will relieve a famine ; 
but send it here, and though a great sum among our 

201 



ONWARD AND UPWARD 

scattered individuals, who can be counted by tens, 
yet it would do us no good, as for digestion we must 
find it ' hard cash ' indeed." 

This severe " wasting of the famine " induced the 
Bishop to launch a plan which for some time he 
had had in mind. He felt how uncertain it was to 
depend upon the supplies brought in from the 
outside, and to obviate the scarcity he knew they 
must endeavour to raise their own produce. 

" A mission-farm in connexion with the mission," 
he wrote, " seems almost a necessity, for as the wild 
animals of the wood are ceasing to yield even a 
precarious subsistence, Providence seems to point 
us plainly to raise food out of the earth." 

Peace River was the region chosen for the 
venture, " the country there being very picturesque, 
having some resemblance to the English South 
Down hills. The grass slopes are a great relief to 
the eye from the monotonous pine-forests, which 
are often almost our onlv view. The soil is fertile, 
and the country well adapted for farming ; and 
though Peace River is at present a starving country, 
yet it is strange to see it spoken of in the papers as 
adapted by Nature to be a great granary for the two 
Continents of Europe and America." 

A new mission was accordingly commenced at 
Dunvegan, " as this point is likely to prove one of 
the most important in the country, being a con- 
venient door of ingress and egress to and from the 
north." 

Mr. Thomas Bunn, who had done "patient 

202 



ONWARD AND UPWARD 

and successful school work at Chipewyan," was 
placed in charge of the mission, while Mr. G. Gar- 
rioch had control of the farm which was started. 
Another farm in connexion with Dunvegan was 
begun at Smoky River, " so called from the con- 
stant smoke occasioned by the spontaneous com- 
bustion underground of coal and bitumen." 

At Vermilion the mission was enlarged " by the 
addition of a school, in charge of Mr. Lawrence 
from Canada," and in 1880 the Bishop reported 
that " the mission - farm at Vermilion has been 
also enlarged, and is in a fair way to be productive 
enough to provide food for that and other mission- 
stations." 

So encouraged was the Bishop by the success of 
his farming plan on Peace River that he began to 
think of a similar undertaking on the Liard River, 
further north, and he considered this section " better 
adapted for farming than any other part of the 
Mackenzie River country." 

Besides the farming plan, the Bishop had another 
in his mind about this time, and that was to have a 
small mission - steamer placed on the Mackenzie 
River. As the farms would, he hoped, supply the 
mission with produce, so the steamer would not 
only carry all the supplies, but facilitate travel 
and advance the missionary work in the vast 
diocese. 

He believed a steam-launch, with portable 
engines of about 20 horse-power, a rapidly re- 
volving screw, and a furnace to burn wood or 

203 



ONWARD AND UPWARD 

coal, could be taken in by the way of the Saskat- 
chewan and Peace Rivers, and the hull built in 
the country. Such a launch, he estimated, could 
ascend the Mackenzie River, the longest river in 
British territory, for about 1,300 miles. 

The movement thus begun by the Bishop caused 
the Hudson Bay Company to make a start in the 
same direction. They wished to remain the " lords 
of the north," and for a steamer to be placed on 
the river and controlled by others would, they 
believed, weaken their prestige among the natives. 
When the Bishop saw the Company meant busi- 
ness he at once gave up his own plan, for it mattered 
little to him who controlled the steamer so long as 
the method of travel was improved. This was not 
done till some years later, when, in 1882, the little 
steamer Grahmn was built by the Company at Fort 
Chipewyan, on Lake Athabasca. In 1885 the screw 
propeller Wrigley was built at Fort Smith, on the 
Slave River ; and a few years later the stern- wheeler 
Athabasca was launched at Athabasca Landing for 
the Upper Athabasca River.* 

But during the waiting season the Bishop had to 
continue his long journeys in the open canoe over 
the great network of waterways with which he was 
so familiar. In May, 1881, he began those marvel- 
lous trips which only a giant constitution could 
have endured. From the Peace River district he 
made a voyage far north to visit the Tukudh 

* " The Remarkable History of the Hudson's Bay Com- 
pany," chap, xxxviii., p. 395. 

204 



ONWARD AND UPWARD 

missions. Here he was much pleased with the 
hearty welcome given by the native converts, 
" whom," he says, " I have come to regard as my 
brethren in Christ." " It was a delight to me," he 
further adds, " to hear adults and children at each 
mission post read before me from the Tukudh 
books printed for their benefit ; and as they have 
now begun to teach one another to read, our 
missionary will be somewhat relieved from the 
necessity of holding school for all." 

But the Indians along the Upper Yukon, whom 
he " left weeping in contrition for their sins ten 
years ago," weighed much upon his mind, and he 
made a strong appeal for men to man the field. 
One of the Yukon Indians who had come to plead 
for the Bishop to visit his tribe pointed to a 
smouldering fire and said : 

"That is how you have left us. You kindled 
the fire of the Gospel among us, and left it un- 
tended to die out again. Why have you done 
this ?" 

Is it any wonder that this missionary, standing 
by the smouldering camp - fire, with the dusky 
natives all around, and listening to their cry, 
" Come over and help us," sent forth his soul- 
stirring appeal for men to support his great under- 
taking in the northern wilds ? 

He also asked the Church Missionary Society 
" to take up work in the American territory of 
Alaska," adding "that international boundaries 
ought to make no bar to evangelistic efibrts," and 

207 



ONWARD AND UPWARD 

that " the whole of the Indians on the Youcon are 
thirsty for instruction, and are already partly 
evangelized by the efforts of Archdeacon Mc- 
Donald." 

The Eskimos, in their dense ignorance, worried 
him much, and he sent appeal after appeal for 
assistance. And the cry was not in vain, for the 
Bishop's brother, George Bompas, gave a sub- 
stantial sum for the purpose. While the Bishop 
was in the North still pleading, the Church Mis- 
sionary Society sent out the Rev. T. H. Canham 
to start a mission among the Eskimos. Mr. Canham 
reached Peel River one year later, and was cordially 
received by the Eskimos, among whom he at once 
began to work. 

For some time Bishop Bompas did not know who 
the generous donor was, and when he at length 
found out he wrote to his brother George in 1884 : 

" I have only just heard that you were yourself 
the kind and generous donor. ... I feel very 
thankful for your generosity and for the direc- 
tion it took. Just at the time of Archdeacon 
McDonald's absence it was this gift only that has 
enabled us to support in sufficiency the Tukudh 
Mission, as well as to press on efforts for the 
Esquimaux. 

" You may, then, view the Rev. T. H. Canham, 
with whom I have been staying at Peel River 
during much of last winter, as your own par- 
ticular missionary. He is making good progress 
with the Tukudh and Esquimaux languages ; but, 

208 



ONWARD AND UPWARD 

both being difficult, it is hard to acquire the two at 
once." 

After spending the summer amongst the Tukudh 
missions, and travelling from May to August 2,500 
miles, the Bishop returned south to Great Slave 
Lake to meet the incoming mission-party from 
England, and afterwards proceeded up the Liard 
River from Fort Simpson, and visited two posts 
there, Liard and Nelson. This region he considered 
" debatable ground " between the Dioceses of Cale- 
donia and Mackenzie River. " However," he 
wrote, " as it appears at present quite inaccessible to 
Bishop Ridley, and has always been associated with 
our missions, I have worked it meanwhile, with the 
permission of Bishop Hills, irrespective of the 
question to whom it may ultimately be assigned." 

Before winter the Bishop returned to Fort 
Norman, and had a terrible journey. The following 
letter written by Mrs. Bompas the next summer, and 
published in the little missionary magazine, The Net, 
describes most vividly what the Bishop endured : 

"Fort Norman, 

''July, 1882. 

" The Bishop's return to us was greatly delayed. 
We counted on his arrival for relief in our most 
pressing necessities, and I was weary of acting on 
my own responsibility and judgment, for daily there 
is very much in which the said judgment is called 
for. But iwe looked and longed for him in vain, 
and the river became more firmly locked with ice. 

209 M 



ONWARD AND UPWARD 

Towards the middle of November I was roused one 
night from sleep and startled to the uttermost by 
the loud knocking at the door of two Indians, who 
shouted out to me : 

" ' We bring you tidings of Bishop ; he is 
starving !' 

"It did not take me long to spring up and 
examine the men as to the truth of their report, 
and perilous indeed was the adventure which I 
gathered from them. The Bishop had reached 
Fort Simpson some days later than was expected. 
Finding that ice was rapidly forming on the river, 
so that to proceed northwards by canoe was utterly 
impossible, he started on a small raft (which iwas 
hastily and badly constructed) with one Indian. 
On this they were beating about for days, in great 
peril amid the gathering ice. They reached at last 
La Violdtes' house at Little Rapid, and there had 
to remain for ten days until the river was fast 
bound. Then the Bishop started anew to walk 
with four Indians, one of whom went after a bear 
in the woods and wholly lost sight of the others. 
Their supply of provisions was most insufficient, 
and from losing the right track the journey occu- 
pied twelve days instead of, as is usual, six. At 
length, when within a day's reach of this place, 
the Bishop was so overcome with exhaustion as to 
be quite unable to proceed, their only meal, some- 
time previous, having been a fish and small barley 
cake between four men. The Indians left him in 
the woods and hurried on to tell me of his con- 

210 



4 

^4 






Mrs. Bompas in Winter Dress 

From a photo,;;iapli by Messrs. Notman and Son, Montreal 



ONWARD AND UPWARD 

dition. My heart sank pretty low at such tidings, 
yet at the same time came the thought and firm 
conviction, which I trust was not presumptuous, 
that the Arms which had shielded my dear husband 
through so many dangers would befriend him still. 
But I felt there was no time to lose, and my first 
effort was to induce one of the young Indians to 
set off immediately to discover the Bishop in the 
woods, with Indian sagacity, and take him the relief 
I would send. 

" ' Whu-tale, Bishop is starving in the woods. I 
send him meat — chiddi, chiddi (quick, quick). You 
take it to him, eh ?' 

" Whu-tale, with true Indian passiveness : 

" ' Maybe to-morrow.' 

" ' No, Whu-tale ; to-morrow Bishop must be 
here : he cannot stand until he has eaten meat. I 
want you to take it now, and go to him like the 
wind. If you go directly and bring Bishop safe, I 
will give you a fine flannel shirt.' 

" Whu-tale, a little more briskly : 

" ' Then it would not be hard for me to go, and 
perhaps like the wind.' 

" The next moment saw me emerging from my 
house, wrapped in my deer- skin robe, up the hill 
to the fort, where I had to rouse the Hudson Bay 
Company's officer from a sound sleep to obtain 
from him a supply of moose meat. The thermo- 
meter was nearly 30° below zero, and wolves in a 
starving condition had been seen lurking near the 
fort ; but I thought of neither the one nor the 

213 M 2 



ONWARD AND UPWARD 

other, and only rejoiced to get Wliu-tale off, and 
waited with enough anxiety through the succeeding 
hours. After darkness had set in on the following 
day, the travellers appeared, trudging along on 
snow-shoes, weary and footsore, my husband look- 
ing hardly able to stand, and with his beard all 
fringed with icicles. It is wonderful how he had 
been preserved amid such perils, and brought to me 
at last in answer to many prayers." 

Here the Bishop stayed all winter, and, notwith- 
standing his last fearful experience, left again in 
the spring among the drift-ice, intending to visit 
Archdeacon McDonald at Peel River, whose health 
was not good. 

Of the risk the Bishop ran in this journey down- 
stream with the drift-ice the following description 
in his own words will give some idea : 

" The breaking up of the ice in spring in the 
large rivers, like the Mackenzie, is sometimes a fine 
sight. The ice may pile in masses along the banks 
to the height of 40 feet, or be carried far into the 
woods. When any check occurs to the drifting of 
the broken ice, so as to back the stream, the water 
may suddenly rise to the height of 50 feet or more, 
and flood the country. 

" The rivers and lakes freeze in winter to a depth 
of from 6 to 10 feet, and the force and impetus of 
large masses of ice of this thickness, when hurled 
along the rapid current of a mighty river, are 
enormous. Few exhibitions of the power of the 

214 



ONWARD AND UPWARD 

Great Creator are more imposing than when ' He 
causeth His wind to blow, and the waters flow.' " 

Reaching Fort Good Hope, he heard better 
accounts of the Archdeacon, and, turning back, 
took Mrs. Bompas from Fort Norman to Fort 
Resolution, on Great Slave Lake, occupied by 
Messrs. Garton and Norn, " where," wrote the 
Bishop, " I have left her, I hope, a little more com- 
fortable than last winter." 

From Great Slave Lake he proceeded at once to 
Fort Chipewyan,* where he was engaged some 
time placing the accounts in the hands of Mr. Reeve, 
who had been appointed financial secretary, owing to 
the accessibility of his station from north to south. 
During the Bishop's stay here Captain Dawson, of 
the Royal Artillery, arrived from England with 
three men, in connexion with the International 
Circumpolar Expedition. At this place he made 
preparations for the building of a steamer by the 
Hudson Bay Company, " so that civilization," 
remarked the Bishop, " appears approaching us 
by degrees." 

From Fort Chipewyan the Bishop went to 
Vermilion, on Peace River, and was " much en- 
couraged by the sight of the good crops harvested 
from the mission-farms." After visiting Dunvegan, 
and other places along the river, he returned and 
spent three months at Vermilion, assisting Mr. 

* A mission-house was erected here in 1876, and the 
church opened on Easter Day, 1880. — (From notes found 
among the Bishop's papers.) 

217 



ONWARD AND UPWARD 

Lawrence with the school. At length, becoming 
anxious about the lower missions, he started on 
foot for Chipewyan. This was a journey of about 
200 miles, and many difficulties he must have 
endured before reaching his destination, which he 
did on March 1, in time to meet the spring letters, 
and confer with Archdeacon McDonald respecting 
the latter's intended trip to Manitoba and England. 

At this place he heard that Mrs. Bompas was ill, 
which caused him much uneasiness. After spending 
a fortnight here with Mr. Reeve, he " found an 
opportunity of proceeding north again to Fort 
Resolution," which he reached shortly after Easter. 
He found Mrs. Bompas " in tolerable health, though 
having suiFered rather severe hardships in winter, 
through the house not having been properly 
arranged in the fall to exclude the cold." 

Though the Bishop had been absent from home 
for nine months, he only remained at Fort Resolu- 
tion two weeks, and then pushed north to the 
Tukudh Mission, visiting the various stations on 
the way. Here he remained one year, and " was 
enabled to see nearly all the Indians at each of the 
three stations twice, both in winter and spring, and 
the Eskimos twice, both in fall and spring." His 
time was fully occupied, as the following will 
show : 

" I held two Confirmations — viz., at Peel River 
and Rampart House — about forty being confirmed 
each time. I administered the Communion twice, 
to about forty communicants at each of these 

218 



ONWARD AND UPWARD 

stations. I gave a daily address at Evening Prayer 
in Indian throughout the year, and the same twice 
on Sundays, always from the Gospels. I again went 
through the Eskimo primer with the interpreter, 
and wrote out additional prayers and lessons, and 
endeavoured to assist the Rev. T. Canham with the 
language. I made much eflfort towards the comple- 
tion of the two mission-churches at Peel River and 
Rampart House, and left the former in so forward 
a state that we held prayers in it in spring, when 
it was quite filled by the Indian converts. Our 
cheerfulness was rather damped by the sudden 
death after New Year of their aged chief, good old 
Red Leggings, who has been from the first a main- 
stay of our mission there. I count him one that 
trusted in the Lord." 

These are only the unembellished facts, and how 
we long for more interesting detail of that year's 
labour in the North ! But only once does he allow 
us a brief glimpse into his work at Rampart 
House. 

" The old Indian chief specially asked me to 
administer the Sacrament to the communicants 
here, which I did, and about ten days after receiving 
it occurred his sudden death, for which, I trust, he 
was fully prepared. For the past six weeks I have 
been fully occupied in teaching a large band of 
Indians, and in holding school for the children. 
The sun here is hidden by the mountains all mid- 
winter, and the days are so short that when the sky 
is cloudy we use candles at noon, and in clear days 

219 



ONWARD AND UPWARD 

we can read by daylight only for two hours. I 
have spectacles, and my eyes are becoming dim by 
candle-light through the effect of using them in 
fire and twilight, which must be my apology for a 
poor letter just now ; but our darkest winter days 
are now passing by. The glare of the never- 
setting sun is also injurious to the eyesight in 
summer ; but, with these drawbacks, I have come to 
like the country, and should dread the recom- 
mencing life in England much more than ending 
my days here." 

But the Bishop was longing for one change. The 
incessant moving about was telling upon him, and 
he asked that the diocese might be divided. 

" I feel," he wrote, " much gratitude to Almighty 
God for the needful health and strength granted 
me for the past year's travel, but I do not feel so 
much energy for journeying as before, and may be 
unable to accomplish the same again." 

He maintained that the great extent of the 
country, 3,000 miles long, rendered his own " super- 
intendence of the missions rather superficial ; 
" but," he continued, " if the zeal and affection of 
friends at home woidd provide an additional Bishop 
for Peace River, then I think the whole diocese, as 
large as half Europe, might be viewed as an end 
worth an effort to accomplish. If the diocese re- 
mains undivided, my itinerancies will be inconsistent 
with domestic life, and I have asked Mrs. Bompas 
to revisit England next year. If relieved of the 
charge of the mission accounts, and of domestic 

220 



ONWARD AND UPWARD 

duties, I wish to surrender myself without reserve 
to the visitation of the mission-stations." 

The Bishop did not think that he was sacrificing 
himself in giving up so much for the work's sake, 
for the compensation, he considered, was very great, 
as the following will show : 

" This land of retirement and rest offers consider- 
able attraction to a contemplative and sedate mind ; 
and if grace is given to heart and mind to ascend 
and dwell above, the turmoil of earth is so far 
removed that the rest of heaven may almost be 
begun below ; while our constant dependence on 
our heavenly Father's care and providence makes 
the life a good school for trust, and the scarcity of 
food impresses the truth that man shall not live 
on bread alone, nor his mind be fed alone by 
the giddiness of worldly gaieties, ' but by every word 
that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord shall 
man live.' " 

The Bishop had now spent almost twenty years of 
strenuous life in the North, and one naturally asks 
what was the outcome of those years of unceasing 
labour. Looking back to the year 1865, we find 
there were then three missionaries in the huge field : 
McDonald at Fort Yukon, Kirkby at Fort Simpson, 
and Bompas with a roving commission. There was 
only one church, that at Fort Simpson. The work 
of translation had but begun, and thousands of 
Indians were roaming over the land to whom the 
name of Christ had little or no meaning. At that 
time, the attempt to enlighten those children of the 

22S 



ONWARD AND UPWARD 

wild, seemed almost hopeless, and the difficulties 
well-nigh insuperable. 

Look, now, at the work twenty years later, and 
see if any changes had been made. Eleven men 
were in the field upholding the standard of the 
Cross. Ten stations were occupied and six churches 
erected, several of which were finished and others 
partly completed. The Bishop himself thus tells of 
the progress made in translating the Indian language. 

" A manual has been printed in seven dialects of 
the country, containing a summary of Christian 
instruction, which even the Roman Catholic Indians 
tell us is better than the priests' books. Gospels 
have been printed in Slave and Chipewyan. The 
Tukudh nation long since signalized the power of 
the Gospel by turning completely from heathenism 
to Christianity. Full translations have been made 
into this language." 

These are the facts that can be ascertained to 
satisfy the world's calculation. But who can esti- 
mate the blessings which have flowed into so many 
lives during that score of years — the hearts made 
glad, the weary comforted, and the dying soothed 
by the tidings from on high, delivered by those 
noble messengers of peace ? These are the things 
which cannot be counted, and yet their price is 
above rubies and their influence eternal. 

Too often people forget the great force of 
national importance exerted by a few missionaries 
scattered over a large extent of country. In the 
lone wilderness they are doing more than at times 



ONWARD AND UPWARD 

appears on the surface. In their efforts to save 
souls they are indirectly advancing the nation's 
interests. It has been well said : ' They have pro- 
moted civilization ; they have furthered geographical 
discovery ; they have opened doors of commerce ; 
they have done service to science ; they have cor- 
rected national and social evils ; they have sweetened 
family life."* 

Bishop Galloway, in an address before the 
Student Volunteer Movement for Foreign Missions 
at Toronto, in 1902, said : 

" The statue erected to David Livingstone in 
Edinburgh represents the great missionary stand- 
ing on a lofty pedestal with the calm confidence of 
the conqueror, his eager eyes turned towards Africa, 
the Bible in one hand, while the other rests on an 
axe. These are the suggestive influences that all 
missionaries stand for — the world's redemption and 
civilization. They have made the echoes of the 
woodman's axe keep time with the story of the 
Gospel in opening up the regions beyond. They 
have opened hospitals and established orphanages, 
and founded schools and colleges, and introduced 
the great doctrines of personal and civil liberty. 
They have taught the tribes of earth all these great 
rudiments of life ; they have taught them how to 
use the plough and the plumb-line, and the saw and 
the hammer, and the compass and the trowel." 

* Eugene Stock ""s " History of the Church Missionary 

Society."' 



2^5 



CHAPTER XIV 
BISHOP OF MACKENZIE RIVER DIOCESE 

(1884-1891) 

" In Truth for mail enfolden, 

Virtue for corselet pure, 
And Love for breastband golden, 
The soldier shall endure." 

Bishop Bompas. 

The long-desired change at last took place, for 
while the Bishop was writing his letters by the 
camp-fires of the Indians a definite step was 
taken by the Provincial Synod of the province of 
Rupert's Land, and a new diocese was carved out of 
the southern part of the old. This included the 
Peace River district, and retained the name of 
Athabasca. 

Here, then, were two dioceses — one the Mac- 
kenzie River, stretching from the 60th parallel of 
north latitude to the Arctic circle, and westward 
beyond the great mountains, bleak and desolate ; 
the other nearer civilization, and only half as large, 
but with great prospects before it. Which would 
the veteran take ? The one that promised greater 
ease ? No ; that was never his plan. Leaving 

226 



MACKENZIE RIVER DIOCESE 

Athabasca in charge of Bishop Young, who had 
been consecrated on October 18, 1884, for that 
special field, he set his face steadfastly towards the 
frozen North, as far as possible from the restraints 
of civilization. Great was the Bishop's satisfaction 
at the division thus made, for he would be able to 
accomplish more definite work, and carry on his 
beloved translations. 

But just as soon as one care was removed, others 
came of a most distressing nature, from unexpected 
quarters. His appeals for men to man the vacant 
stations of the Tukudh Mission had not been in 
vain, and in 1881 the Rev. V. C. Sim, a man of 
great earnestness, came forward, and was placed 
among the Indians at Rampart House. Splendid 
work was done by this new recruit, who spared not 
himself in ministering to his dusky flock, for whom 
he gave his life. He was incessantly on the move 
on river and land, following the example of his 
Bishop. On one occasion he visited some Indians 
along a branch of the Porcupine River, and camped 
on the bank. The medicine-man pitched his tent 
near by, and proved most hostile. For three days 
Mr. Sim was busy baptizing the Indians who came 
to him. At night, tired out, he tried to sleep, 
but in vain, as the medicine-man made night 
hideous with his noise and the beating of a drum. 
The missionary became exhausted, and, having 
given away nearly all his food to needy Indians, 
was on the point of starvation when he returned 
to Rampart House in the fall. Even then he 

229 



MACKENZIE RIVER DIOCESE 

could not rest, for he was kept busy during the 
fall and winter nursing sick Indians. When these 
recovered he was completely worn out, and his 
health gave way. 

A messenger was sent to the Rev. T. H. Canham, 
on Peel River, 230 miles away, who hurried at once 
to Mr. Sim's assistance. For a time the latter 
seemed to rally, and longed for his letters, which 
were expected by the annual mail. Mr. Canham, 
with noble self-sacrifice, made the journey to Peel 
River, and upon his return, bringing the mail, he 
found a great change had taken place in the sick 
man's condition. So weak was he that he could not 
hear his letters read, and the fond messages from 
loved ones never reached his ears. Day by day he 
sank lower, and, lying there in that far-away station, 
dying at his post of duty, he repeated over and over 
again those beautiful words of Psalm xlvi. : " The 
Lord of Hosts is with us ; the God of Jacob is our 
refuge." 

"On May 11, 1885," writes Mr. Canham, "his 
spirit passed to the presence of his Saviour, whom 
he had so faithfully served. He was laid to rest in 
the Indian graveyard — a quiet, secluded spot on the 
top of a high hill. A neat rail and head-board 
were made, and placed by an Indian around the 
grave." 

And there in the wilderness fell the brave soldier 
in the great cause among the Indians whom he loved 
so dearly. Some time before his death he had made 
a touching appeal to the Church Missionary Society 

230 



MACKENZIE RIVER DIOCESE 

for assistance, which resulted in the sending of the 
Rev. G. C. Wallis to fill the post, who reached 
Rampart House, after much difficulty, in the fall of 
1886. 

The death of Mr. Sim was a severe blow to the 
Bishop, who at that time was doing the work of 
several men at Slave Lake. Though he wrote little 
about the sad event, the following extract from a 
letter sent to Mrs. Bompas shortly afterwards 
describes somewhat the state of his mind : 

" The passing changes of the present shadowy 
existence are, we know, soon to give place to the 
noontide blaze of heavenly glory. Your own life 
and health, like that of myself and all, are precarious 
and uncertain, but we can do little more than remain 
in an attitude of penitence and supplication at the 
Saviour's feet, seeking to be sanctified to His will." 

The year of Mr. Sim's death saw the outbreak of 
the great North- West Rebellion. This was an 
uprising of the half-breed element along the 
banks of the Saskatchewan River in 1885. It 
was brought about through several causes, such 
as the advance of civilization, the threatened famine 
due to the rapid disappearance of the buffalo, the 
" fear that their lands, of which they had received 
no patents or title-deeds, would be snatched away 
by speculators," and the dissatisfaction " with the 
Government's method of surveying the land, which 
interfered with the old French plan of having all 
the farms fronting upon the river." 

Led by Louis Riel, himself a half-breed (the 

233 



MACKENZIE RIVER DIOCESE 

leader of the Red River rebellion in 1869), and 
joined by the Cree Indians of Saskatchewan, they 
spread terror over the country, committing at the 
same time a number of unwarrantable murders. 
The North- West Mounted Police, of whom there 
were only 500 at hand, bravely held them in check 
until General Middleton, Commander-in-Chief of 
the Canadian Militia, arrived from Eastern Canada 
with a force of 4,400 men. After several sharp en- 
counters at Fish Creek, Batoche, and Cut Knife 
Creek, the rebels were defeated and the rebellion 
brought to a close. Riel was found guilty of 
treason, and sentenced to death. 

This rebellion had the effect of drawing the 
attention of people in Eastern Canada to the rich- 
ness of the North- West, increasing the number 
of mounted police for the protection of settlers 
scattered throughout the country, and of obtaining 
a stronger Government.* 

Though the disaffection did not extend to the 
Indians of the Mackenzie River Diocese, yet the 
mission- stations suffered severely, as some of the 
Hudson Bay Company's posts were in the disturbed 
districts, and at these places mission supplies had 
been stored, ready to be forwarded during the 
summer. These stores were broken into by the rebel 
Indians, and a large amount of the property stolen. 
Mrs. Bompas, writing of this, says : 

* For a fuller account of this rebellion see " The Story of 
the Canadian People," by David M. Duncan, p. 368. 
Published by Morang and Co., Toronto. 

234 




A Cree Woman 

Ah-e-squee-urt (Little Squaw). 



MACKENZIE RIVER DIOCESE 

" Think what the want of flour, tea, and sugar 
must be ; of warm clothing ; of fish-nets, and twine 
to make them ; of soap and candles ; of tobacco ; 
and, worst of all, of powder and shot, without which 
it is impossible for the Indian hunters to bring us 
our supplies of moose, deer, or wild goat's meat ! 
A number, too, of our charity bales are gone ; and, 
indeed, knowing as I do the treasures that these 
bales contain in warm clothing, and other kind and 
thoughtful gifts for our Indians, and often for the 
missionaries themselves, it does make one's heart 
ache to think of what the loss of them will be." 

Not only did the rebellion cut off the mission sup- 
plies, but it was a sore hindrance to Mrs. Bompas, who 
was returning from England with recruits for the 
work in the far North, Several times they essayed 
to go forward, but in vain, and for a whole year were 
forced to remain in Winnipeg. This little band 
consisted of (besides Mrs. Bompas) Miss French, 
on her way to join her betrothed, the Rev. T. H. 
Canham, at Peel River ; Mr. and Mrs. Garton, 
lately married ; and Mr. J. W. Ellington, on his 
first and only journey to the North. At Winnipeg 
the sad news reached them of Mr. Sim's death, and 
of this Mrs. Bompas wrote to The Net : 

" Mr. Sim, one of our most gallant workers in the 
far North — the most simple, earnest-minded man — 
has been honoured by the call to lay down his 
life in his Master's service. . . . One thinks of 
the little church he has helped to build, with no one 
to hold service there ; of the gathering of the 

237 N 



MACKENZIE RIVER DIOCESE 

Indians next spring at the different places where he 
was wont to meet them ; but there is none now to 
teach and pray with them, to hold solemn service 
among them, and lead them in the hymns they love 
so well. There will be infants brought for holy 
baptism, and sick members to be doctored, but none 
to minister to them." 

In August, 1886, the Bishop summoned his clergy 
to Fort Simpson to attend the first Synod of the 
Mackenzie River Diocese. He had more men at 
his disposal now than when he held his Synod ten 
years before. Daily services were conducted in 
three languages in St. David's Church, for Indians 
and whites. A proposal was made to found a 
diocesan Indian school, and the Rev. W, Spendlove 
was appointed to organize it. The latter was also 
made registrar of the diocese, and elected delegate 
to attend the Provincial Synod in Winnipeg in 1887. 
A motion for the division of the Mackenzie River 
Diocese was also made, and a petition sent to the 
Church Missionary Society for more men. 

Some of the results of this meeting were : the 
formation of the new diocese of Selkirk (Yukon) 
in 1891, the Canadian Church brought into closer 
contact with this northern diocese, and the sending 
out of Mr. John Hawksley by the Church Missionary 
Society. 

On Sunday, August 29, an ordination service was 
held by the Bishop, when two candidates, John 
W. Ellington and pavid N. Kirkby, were admitted 
to the diaconate. This ordination was of unusual 

238 










Indians Relieved with Gifts of Clothing at a 
Mission Station 




A Dog Team. Fikly degrees below zero 



MACKENZIE RIVER DIOCESE 

interest, owing to the fact that these two men were 
sons of missionaries, were of the same age, and had 
attended school together for about eight years in 
England. They had separated for another period 
of eight years, and, without any previous planning, 
had met in the lonely North, to be ordained to the 
sacred ministry. Fort Simpson was the birthplace 
of one of the candidates, David Kirkby, and the 
church in which the ordination took place had 
been built twenty years before by his father, the 
Rev. W. W. Kirkby, that noble pioneer missionary 
who welcomed Mr. Bompas on Christmas Day, 1865. 

The candidates were presented to the Bishop by 
the Rev. W. Spendlove, who also preached on that 
occasion. In the afternoon the Bishop gave an 
address on the duties of the Christian ministry. 

At the time of the Synod there was a scarcity of 
food, the beginning of the great famine, and all 
were placed on short allowance. One day the 
dinner consisted of barley and a few potatoes, but 
it is said that the Bishop was equal to the occasion, 
justifying the scanty fare by repeating Proverbs 
XV. 17 : " Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, 
than a stalled ox and hatred therewith." 

The winter that followed the meeting of the 
clergy was a terrible one. The famine increased. 
Game was scarce, few moose were to be obtained, 
the rabbits all died, and the fish nearly all left the 
river. The Indians asserted that the scarcity of the 
finny " prey " was caused by the propeller of the 
new steamer Wri^ley^ which first churned the head 

241 N 2 



MACKENZIE RIVER DIOCESE 

waters of the great river the preceding fall, but 
was unable to reach the northern posts owing to 
the ice — hence the lack of supplies. But any 
excuse would serve the Indians, as on a previous 
occasion when fish was scarce (so Mrs. Bompas 
tells us) the natives said it was due to the white 
women bathing in the river. Such a radical change 
as cleanliness was evidently as much disliked by 
the fish as by the Indians. 

Through the weary days of famine sad reports 
reached the Bishop of Indians dying for lack of 
food. 

" Forty starving Indians," so he wrote, " are said 
to have been eating each other on Peace River, and 
200 dead there of measles, and a like number at 
Isle a la Crosse." 

" We have been living for some days," says 
Mrs. Bompas, " on flour and barley soup, and 
potatoes twice a day. We are four in family, 
and William gives us all the giant's share, and 
takes so little himself. One hopes and prays 
for help. One hears terrible accounts of the 
Indians all about, all starving, no rabbits or any- 
thing for them to fall back upon. Here many of 
them hunt for rotten potatoes thrown away last 
fall. Oh, it is truly heartrending !" 

At length so serious became the trouble that 
the Bishop, to lessen the number at the fort, left 
for Fort Wrigley. Thus the winter and spring 
passed, and not until the steamer arrived with 
supplies did the famine cease. On this steamer 

242 



MACKENZIE RIVER DIOCESE 

Mrs. Bompas left for England, and never again did 
she visit the Mackenzie River Diocese. The Indians 
and all missed her very much, and kept asking 
continually when she would return. 

" I tell the Indians and every one else," wrote 
the Bishop to Mrs. Bompas, " that I have sent you 
home against your will. I told them yesterday 
that Christ died for them long ago, and that was 
enough. There Avas no occasion for you to die for 
them as well, however willing you might be." 

In 1887 the Bishop was cheered by the arrival 
of Mr. John Hawksley from England, sent out by 
the Church Missionary Society. He was placed at 
first on the Liard River, where the Bishop had for 
some time wished to open up regular mission-work. 
He accompanied Mr. Hawksley to his new field of 
labour, and spent some time travelling and assisting 
the young recruit. As an example of the Bishop's 
love for the Indians, Mr. Hawksley relates that one 
cold night in September, while sleeping near a camp 
of Indians, the Bishop was much concerned over 
one poor old man who was suffering from a severe 
cough. In the night he arose quietly, and, taking 
his best and warmest blanket, placed it carefully 
over the coughing Indian, and then, returning, 
wrapped himself up in his one thin remaining 
blanket and slept till morning. 

For some time the Bishop thought of going to 
Manitoba on a short visit, and pathetically he 
wrote : " My feet now refuse to perform their 
exercise, and it is perhaps time for me to cease to 

243 



MACKENZIE RIVER DIOCESE 

be a missionary. There is a text for everything, 
and the one in which I have been driven to find 
comfort in the past three weeks is, ' Neither 
delighteth He in any man's legs.' I am rather 
thinking to change my name and travel incog, 
when I come outside, to avoid being pestered by 
reporters and interviewers. Perhaps it would be 
a good plan to change the Bompas into ' Bon-point ' 
or ' Bon-rien.' " 

Much of his time during his last years on the 
Mackenzie River was taken up with translation 
work and the writing of his books, an account of 
which is given in another chapter. Occasionally 
we catch glimpses of him on a special day, such as 
Christmas or his birthday, when presents were 
given and received. Sometimes the Hudson Bay 
Company's officers would present him with a 
" prettily worded paper of good wishes." 

The arrival of the mail-packet was always a 
great event in the quiet life at the fort, when 
letters months old were received. They generally 
came twice a year, by boat in summer and by dog- 
team in winter, when the journey was made from 
post to post by some trusty courier. As a rule, the 
letters were much soiled and worn from frequent 
handling at the various posts, and at times the 
Bishop complained of the thinness of the envelopes, 
which was not conducive to secrecy. 

An amusing incident happened on one occasion, 
when the courier was hurrying forward with the 
mail. In some manner he broke through the ice, 

!e44 



MACKENZIE RIVER DIOCESE 

and dogs, man, and letters were thoroughly soaked. 
It was a cold day, so, heading for the shore, the 
Indian made a good fire, dried his clothes, and then 
gazed sadly upon the wet letters. At length a 
thought occurred to him, and, taking the soiled 
epistles out o£ the envelopes he stacked them 
around the fire, near enough to dry, but not to 
burn. When this was completed to his satisfaction, 
he began to replace them. But, alas ! though well 
versed in woodland lore, he had never acquired the 
gentle art of reading, so that the letters were replaced 
helter-skelter. Into envelopes addressed to the 
Bishop went important missives meant only for 
the Company's officers, or the tender sighings of 
some fair maiden for a Northern lover, while the 
Bishop's letters were disposed of in a similar 
manner. Thinking he had accomplished a very 
clever feat, the courier pushed on his way, and, 
reaching the fort, was much astonished at the ex- 
clamations and excitement of all. Not until the 
whole matter was explained by the puzzled courier 
was its humorous side seen, and then a good laugh 
ensued. 

From beyond the great mountains again came 
sad news, which gave the Bishop much concern. 
Before it came from Rampart House, on the 
Porcupine River ; this time from the Yukon, where 
a new mission had been started. Owing to the 
touching and stirring appeal of poor Sim, Mr. T. 
Fowell Buxton, of Easneye, Ware, gave the sum of 
£100, and the Church Missionary Society sent out a 

247 



MACKENZIE RIVER DIOCESE 

young man, J. W. Ellington. He was stationed by 
the Bishop at the confluence o£ the Yukon and 
Forty Mile Rivers, after his ordination, already 
mentioned in this chapter ; and for some time the 
place was known as " Buxton," but afterwards it 
took the name of Forty Mile, which had been 
familiar to the miners. 

Here Mr. Ellington laboured earnestly and to the 
best of his ability, but his position was a hard one. 
The miners delighted in playing practical jokes of 
a most serious nature upon the young missionary, 
and made life so hard for him that mind and body 
completely gave way, and in this sad condition he 
was taken back to England.* 

And once again the Indians were without a 
teacher along the Yukon. Most anxious was the 
Bishop concerning them, and he longed, as he said, 
" to steal away quietly to the Youcon," and proposed 
Archdeacon Reeve to succeed him on the Mackenzie 
River. 

" I fear," he wrote in 1890, " to ask anyone to 
take my place in Mackenzie River these starving 
times, and I fear I may have to stay myself. But 
I write to the Church Missionary Society asking 
them again to accept my resignation, and send a 
successor, unless they can relieve me of half the 

* Mr. Ellington died at Northampton on May 23, 1902. 
His father, who died in 1878, served eighteen years as a 
Church Missionary Society missionary in the Telugu country, 
South India. His mother, after her husband's death, became 
a missionary of the Church of England Zenana Missionary 
Society. 

248 



MACKENZIE RIVER DIOCESE 

diocese. ... I feel a presentiment that Arch- 
deacon Reeve will at last come up next year and set 
me free, that I may go across the mountains or to 
heaven," 

He had no inclination to leave the country, and 
when it was suggested that he should go to 
Manitoba he wrote : " I find the needle points west 
rather than east, and north rather than south." 

When urged to return to England, he wrote : 
" To life in England and to my relations there I 
feel so long dead and buried that I cannot think a 
short visit home, as if from the grave, would be of 
much use. If over fifteen years ago when I was at 
home I felt like Samuel's ghost, how should I feel 

, . 

On January 31, 1890, we find him at Fort 
Norman, living in the church, with a large stove, 
and eating more flour, so he tells us, than he had 
done for twenty-five years. To the loneliness of 
his position here the Bishop never once referred, 
but the following words of the Rev. W. Spend- 
love, ten years later, give a vivid picture of the 
place : 

" We reside in the northern confines of British 
territory, on the Arctic slopes of this continent, not 
far from the Arctic circle and Great Bear Lake, 
amid wild mountainous scenery. Either the wild 
fury of the storm rages, or dead calm with intense 
cold prevails, interchanged with bright sun and 
cheery ice and snow landscape for eight months of 
the year. Ice-blocked and snow-bound, dense 

249 



MACKENZIE RIVER DIOCESE 

forest covers the banks of the Mackenzie River, 
and beyond a trackless desert of beautiful per- 
fectly dry snow. Distance, 8,000 miles from 
England ; upwards of 1,500 miles beyond the outer 
limit of Canadian frontier border of civilization ; 
and our nearest missionary brother fifteen days' 
journey. Cut off from white people ; shut up 
among Red Indian savages. Oh, what vast soli- 
tudes ! What extreme loneliness ! The effort to 
procure sufficient food and fuel for these regions is 
no easy task. Other conditions of life are most 
disadvantageous. Nothing in Nature to smile upon 
us for eight months. No sight or sound of civil- 
ization. No European Christian to mingle with, or 
fellow-worker to shake the hand, join in mutual 
sympathetic intercourse, and say, ' Go on, brother ; 
I believe in you and your work.' " 

Such is the grim picture given of that lonely 
Northern post ; and how much more isolated 
it must have been ten years before ! Yet we see 
the Bishop alone in the log church, deeply engaged 
in his beloved translations, and poring with delight 
over the Syriac Testament and Lexicon which Mrs. 
Bompas had sent out from England. Listen to 
these words of courage and trust penned in the 
midst of such dreary surroundings : 

"It is only this winter that I find life worth 
living, and I think God has paid me handsomely for 
twenty-five years' mission service in Mackenzie 
River. I have found the winter days very short 
and dark, and have been cheered by a sense of 

250 



MACKENZIE RIVER DIOCESE 

God's presence. ' When I sit in darkness, the Lord 
will be light unto me.'" 

" During the past two weeks my mind has been 
entirely diverted from these inward cogitations to 
the outward world by a large arrival of letters and 
newspapers, after I had been utterly in the dark 
regarding the outer world for six months. It is 
as though a veil were suddenly drawn over the 
inward and spiritual world, and the veil as suddenly 
drawn back from the outward world that had been 
concealed from me." 

Mrs. Bompas tells us that the Bishop was a very 
self-contained man. " During the years when he 
was itinerating among the Indians and Eskimos he 
had lived so much alone in tent or cabin that he had 
learnt to be wholly independent of external aid. 
Moreover, he had trained himself to endure hard- 
ness as a good soldier of the Cross. His diet was 
at all times abstemious, almost severely so. To the 
last he never allowed himself milk or cream in tea 
or coffee. He was a fairly good cook and bread- 
maker, and loved to produce a dish good and savoury 
for his friends, although eschewing all such dainties 
himself." 

Truly his wants were few. 

" An iron cup, plate, or knife," writes Mr. Spend- 
love, " with one or two kettles, form his culinary 
equipment. A hole in the snow, a corner of a boat, 
wigwam, or log hut, provided space, 6 feet by 2 feet, 
for sleeping accommodation. Imagine him seated 
on a box in a 12-foot room, without furniture, and 

251 



MACKENZIE RIVER DIOCESE 

there cooking, teaching, studying, early and late, 
always at work, never at ease, never known to take 
a holiday." 

On August 5, 1891, we find him still at Fort 
Norman, and in a letter to Mrs. Bompas, who was 
in England, he wrote : 

" I am now engaged in packing up, with the 
view, if God will, of shortly and finally leaving 
Mackenzie River for the far west. Mr. Hawksley 
was ordained to deacon's Orders here last Sunday." 

And thus the Bishop's work on the Mackenzie 
River closed. Twenty-six years had he laboured 
faithfully among the natives of that land, and, 
instead of seeking rest, he resolutely set his face to 
new work, the account of which must be reserved 
for future chapters. 



262 



CHAPTER XY 
BEYOND THE GREAT MOUNTAINS 

(1891-1896) 

" These are the tones to brace and cheer 
The lonely watcher of the fold, 
When nights are dark, and foemen near. 
When visions fade and hearts grow cold." 

Keble. 

Meanwhile changes were taking place beyond the 
mountains, along the great Yukon River, the Quik- 
pak of the Russians. Gold had been discovered, 
and the reports of the Government surveyors were 
attracting miners to that region, and it became 
necessary that more complete episcopal supervision 
should be made. The Bishop, writing concerning 
the matter, said : 

" The missionaries now labouring in the district 
referred to are very isolated, and much need the 
support of episcopal oversight, which it is hoped 
may be no longer denied them. From the Mac- 
kenzie River it appears impossible to superintend 
the district. A visit thither from the east side of 
the Rocky Mountains would involve a journey of 
5,000 miles or more, and an absence of two years. 

253 



BEYOND THE GREAT MOUNTAINS 

The Rocky Mountains form a natural barrier between 
the Mackenzie River and the large country farther 
west." 

The result was that in 1890 the Provincial Synod 
of the province of Rupert's Land sanctioned the 
division of the Diocese of Mackenzie River. Arch- 
deacon W. D. Reeve became Bishop of the eastern 
portion, stretching to the Arctic Ocean on the 
north and the Hudson Bay on the east, while 
Bishop Bompas gave himself up to the work along 
the Yukon River. Archdeacon Reeve was conse- 
crated in Holy Trinity Church, Winnipeg, on 
November 29. The Very Rev. Dean Grisdale, 
in preaching from Acts i. 8, referring to the loneli- 
ness and burden of responsibility associated with 
the new office, said : 

' Of these burdens the noble - hearted Bishop 
Bompas has had his full share ; yet now, for the 
second time, he has resigned his diocese, that he 
might go to the regions beyond." 

Even after the division was made Bishop Bompas 
had no small sphere of work before him. His new 
diocese comprised 200,000 square miles — more 
than twice the area of Great Britain, and the third 
largest diocese in British America. It stretched 
from the Diocese of Caledonia on the south to the 
Arctic Ocean on the north, and was separated on 
the west by the 141st meridian of west longitude 
from the United States territory of Alaska. To 
this new diocese the Bishop gave the name of 
" Selkirk," and when some called the appropriate- 

S54 




An Indian Village in Ai aska 

Stereo copyright, Underwood and Underwood, London and New York 



BEYOND THE GREAT MOUNTAINS 

ness of the name into question,* he bravely defended 
it in the following paragraph : 

" Selkirk, I presume, may be shortened from 
' Selig Kirke,' or ' Holy Church,' which does not 
seem offensive as the name of a diocese. Manitoba 
means, I suppose, ' Spirit Narrows,' and Athabasca, 
' Plenty of Narrows,' and Saskatchewan, ' Strong 
Current,' and Moosonee, ' Moose Deer Walk,' and 
QuAppelle, ' Who Calls ?' And I hardly see why 
' Selkirk' should be deemed an inferior name to these." 

Before Alaska was purchased from Bussia by the 
United States Government in 1867, Fort Yukon was 
the centre of missionary activity of the Church of 
England along the Yukon Biver. It was visited by 
Mr. Kirkby from Fort Simpson, on the Mackenzie 
Biver, in 1862, and in the same year the Bev. 
Bobert McDonald was placed in charge. Great was 
the work done by this latter noble missionary during 
the eight years he was there. No better testimony 
can be produced of the influence he exerted upon 
the Indians for many miles around than that of 
Archdeacon Stuck, of the Protestant Episcopal 
Church of the United States, thirty-six years after. 
Travelling in the winter of 1906, he reached the 
Chandelar village, sixty miles from Fort Yukon, 
and, in an account of these Indians, writes : 

" And here I found a most interesting thing — 
that as long as thirty years ago the older ones 
among these people had been under the instruction of 
the men of the English Church Missionary Society, 
* The name of the district was changed to " Yukon" in 1907. 

257 



BEYOND THE GREAT MOUNTAINS 

and were furnished with Prayer Books, Hymnals, and 
complete Bibles of Archdeacon McDonald's transla- 
tion, carefully treasured, and that one of their 
number conducted regular service. They were still 
praying for ' Our Sovereign Lady, Queen Victoria, 
and Albert Edward, Prince of Wales,' and I sup- 
pose are still ; for though I took a lead pencil and 
struck out these prayers, and tried to explain that 
they were living under the Government of the 
United States, and that Queen Victoria was dead, I 
doubt if my remarks made much impression against 
what they had been taught by Archdeacon McDonald, 
whose memory they revere. And I cannot blame 
them much ; they owe us little enough — I was the 
first missionary of the American Church who had 
visited them." 

Bishop Bompas, before his consecration, had paid 
two visits to Fort Yukon, and travelled up the river 
to where another stream, the Forty Mile, joins the 
Yukon, the site of the mission started in 1887 by 
poor Ellington. To this spot the Bishop turned his 
attention in 1891 as a suitable site for his abode. 
Crossing the Rocky Mountains, he spent the winter 
of 1891 and 1892 at the lonely Rampart House. 

Writing on April 2 to his brother George from 
this place, he tells of his great happiness in Scripture 
studies : " The symmetry of the construction of 
Scripture, ' he continues, " presents ever new 
wonders, and is similar to God's works in Nature, 
the pencillings of summer flowers, the plumage of 
the birds, the harmonies of music. Nor need this 

258 



BEYOND THE GREAT MOUNTAINS 

surprise, for Christ tells us that His words will 
abide when heaven and earth shall pass away. 
Again, He says : ' The words that I speak to you I 
speak not of Myself — that is, they were dictated 
by the Holy Spirit, the Author of all Scripture, and 
were thus measured by the cadences of that heavenly 
music which we may suppose to be the speech of 
angels, and which resounds in a thousand echoes by 
the transposition of its letters. Our words are re- 
echoed from the rocks, not because the rocks have 
a mouth, but because the air has been created with 
such an elasticity as to reverberate the words spoken. 
So the words of God in Scripture are capable of a 
million turns, because the language in which they 
are spoken was arranged from the first to admit of 
its secreting God's messages of love and peace, and 
afterwards restoring them. Now that men can 
bottle up the human voice, and cause its words to 
be repeated at a distant time and place, they need 
not deny to God the skill they have themselves, 
when they know they cannot make so much as a 
feather or a blade of grass." 

On July 2 the Bishop wrote from the same place 
to his sister, and says : " The last few days I have 
been pleased with the following points. First, by 
finding that there seems to be no word for ' danger ' 
in Hebrew or Syriac. Secondly, being scandalized 
by the omission of the words * and of an honey- 
comb ' from the Revised Version of Luke xxiv. 42. 
I thought the best way was to try the experiment of 
eating dried fish with syrup. I found it so delicious 

259 o 



BEYOND THE GREAT MOUNTAINS 

that I strongly recommend it to you, and think it 
will fully convince you of the genuineness of the 
words. Thirdly, I have been profited by noticing 
the frequency of the command to 'wait,' which I 
am trying to fulfil just now. You are perhaps 
aware that the common expression in the Psalms, 
' Wait on the Lord,' really means, ' Wait for the 
Lord.' ... 

"I have just been for a short walk in the woods, 
and find a few flowers in even this Arctic clime, 
such as a pretty wild - rose, lupin, and bluebell. 
There are also berry blossoms, and plenty of the 
white blossom of what we call ' marsh tea.' These 
blossoms really make rather pleasant and aromatic 
tea. The leaves, when used for the same purpose, are 
rather bitter. Raspberry shoots, birch buds, and 
some other berry-trees, are also at times used to 
make tea in the absence of the genuine article, but 
they are rather medicinal. The west side of the 
mountains is, on the whole, more flowery than the 
east side." 

In the spring he went down the Porcupine River to 
the Yukon. It was here he met Mrs. Bompas, who 
was returning from England. They had not met 
since 1887, and Mrs. Bompas vividly describes this 
meeting. After speaking about the trip up the 
river from St. Michael's, she mentions the great 
excitement which ensued on July 26, when " two 
Indians came on board, bringing news of the Bishop, 
who is at the next village, ' Showman.' But a delay 
took place owing to the boiler being cleaned, and it 

260 




A Winter Scene in the Norih-West 

From a photograph by Mr. E. J. Hamacher, of Whitehorse, Y.T. 



BEYOND THE GREAT MOUNTAINS 

was not until midnight that ' two bells ' sounded, a 
signal for the boat to stop. I pricked up my ears, 
and then another bell, which meant ' stop her.' It 
must be for wood, of course ; but I sprang from 
my berth, and looked out of my small window to 
see a pretty Indian camp, and — my husband on the 
beach, grey and weather-beaten, but in health better 
than I had expected." 

Accompanying Mrs. Bompas were the Rev. T. H. 
and Mrs. Canham, the Rev. G. C. and Mrs. Wallis, 
and Mr. B. Totty. After the Bishop had joined 
them a conference was held, when it was arranged 
that the Bishop and Mr. Totty should occupy Forty 
Mile, Mr. and Mrs. Canham Fort Selkirk, two 
hundred miles up-stream, while Mr. and Mrs. 
Wallis should go to Rampart House, on the 
Porcupine. Mr. Wallis, it will be remembered, 
succeeded Mr. Sim at this latter place, and, having 
returned to England after several years of earnest 
labour, was returning, bringing with him his bride 
to the lonely post. Mrs. Bompas, speaking of their 
landing at Fort Yukon, to ascend the Porcupine 
River, says : 

" Here the Wallises left us, and their great cargo 
of 100 pieces was put on shore. Mrs. Wallis's 
tent was pitched, and I fixed a few flowers and a 
verse on her tent-pole to cheer her up, as she was a 
little down-hearted." 

Anxious days followed the Bishop's arrival at 
Forty Mile. The miners kept coming into the 
country, and there was no man at hand to work 

26a o 2 



BEYOND THE GREAT MOUNTAINS 

among them. Then the white men exerted a 
baneful influence upon his Indians, demoralizing 
them through drink, and in many other unlawful 
ways. He had to contend with the same difficulties 
as other missionaries in like circumstances. It was 
Hans Egede, the great apostle to Greenland, who, 
in 1730, said that while able in perfect security to 
sleep in the tents of the natives, he had to keep a 
watch, and fire-arms by his bed, as a protection 
against his fellow- Christians. Bishop Bompas re- 
marked, after several years' sad experience with 
the whites among his little flock, that " the advent 
of white population strengthens the call for missions 
to the natives. While they are in the minority in 
population, they are not so in Church attendance. 
At Dawson, with a population of 4,000 or 5,000, 
no weekday services can be maintained, while at 
Moosehide, Klondyke, with only 500 inhabitants, 
frequently fifty attend daily Evening Prayers." 

But notwithstanding the anxiety, work went on 
apace. The Indian school made fair progress, and 
steadily were the natives brought into the fold. 
The winters were times of great loneliness, and 
often eight months passed without hearing from 
the outside world. The miners had the law in 
their own hands, and, with rare exceptions, kept 
good order. Occasionally a disturbance would take 
place which worried the missionaries much. In 
1893 Mrs. Bompas wrote : 

" A terrible quarrel reported among the white 
men on Sunday night, resulting in one being shot 

£64 




Mrs. Bom pas 

From a photograph by W. Notman and Son, Montreal 



BEYOND THE GREAT MOUNTAINS 

through both legs, and another stabbed in the 
breast. Oh, for some joolice, or anyone to keep 
order !" 

" I hope for the arrival of some Government 
control," wrote the Bishop, " but the miners have 
themselves now checked the drinking among the 
Indians by deciding that the next person who gives 
a drink to an Indian shall receive notice to leave 
the country in twenty-four hours. As the alterna- 
tive to obeying the miners' laws is generally a 
revolver or a noose on the nearest tree, they are 
pretty well complied with, and they might possibly 
do the same with a policeman if he interfered with 
their own drinking." 

As the miners continued to arrive, vice and crime 
increased. The Bishop realized that, if life and 
property were to be safe, strenuous steps must be 
taken. It was, therefore, largely through his efforts 
and representation to the Dominion Government 
at Ottawa that the North-West Mounted Police 
were sent into the country, and then law and order 
prevailed. 

In January, 1895, the Bishop gave a description 
of Forty Mile : " A town is laid down at Forty Mile, 
and they have two doctors, library, reading-room, 
debating society, theatre, eating-houses, and plenty 
of saloons, as public-houses are called in the West, 
besides two stores, or shops, and a few tradesmen. 
One debate was as to which has caused most misery 
in the past century — war or whisky ? It was decided 
to give the enviable preference to whisky. This 

267 



BEYOND THE GREAT MOUNTAINS 

was truly appropriate to a mining camp. They 
had a feast on New Year's Day, of which every 
soul in the neighbourhood was invited to partake, 
both whites and Indians. 

" We have just now about twenty miners who 
attend our Sunday afternoon English service, and 
afterwards we lend them some books to read ; but 
I have not a very good selection for them. They 
mostly ask for history of travel, and this I do not 
possess. I have some magazines, and they have 
taken the Leisure Hour more than any other 
book." 

And yet for the Bishop and his devoted wife 
the miners had nothing but the prof oundest respect. 
Though many of them were indifferent to all things 
spiritual, still, they could admire nobleness when 
they beheld it, as they did every day in the two 
faithful soldiers of the Cross in their midst. As 
a token of their esteem, on Christmas Day, 1892, a 
splendid nugget of gold was presented to Mrs. 
Bompas, with the following address, signed by 
fifty-three miners : 

" It is proposed to make a Christmas present to 
Mrs. Bompas, the wife of the Rev. Bishop Bompas 
(for which purpose a collection will be taken up 
amongst those who are willing to contribute), and 
that the present shall be in the form of a Forty 
Mile nugget, as most appropriate to the occasion, 
as a mark of respect and esteem from the miners 
of Forty Mile, irrespective of creeds or religions, 
and, further, that it be distinctly understood to be 

268 



BEYOND THE GREAT MOUNTAINS 

a personal present to the first white lady who has 
wintered amongst us." 

From time to time we catch brief glimpses of the 
life in the mission-house. Occasionally Mrs. Bompas 
lets in a little light, which is most interesting. We 
see the Bishop turning from the cares of the diocese 
to provide for some Indian child, or do necessary 
work around the house. She tells how the Bishop 
" has been busy carpentering and devising a number 
of things for our comfort — a beautiful cupboard 
to hold the girls' clothes, shelves and brackets, new 
bench for dining-room, bedsteads mended, a new 
door for our little dining-room, frames for double 
windows, new dining-table, and old one repaired. 
This, with his self-imposed duty of waiting upon 
every one, superintending the kitchen, and doctoring 
any sick members, has filled up his time the last 
few weeks. I feel thankful when for a short time 
in the evening he retires to his study and takes up 
his beloved Syriac." 

But, alas for " the beautiful cupboard and 
shelves " which the Bishop had so carefully made ! 
Boards were very scarce, not enough even to make 
coffins in which to bury the dead, and the shelves 
had to be taken down to make a coffin for an 
Indian who had been brought in from the distant 
hunting-grounds. Mrs. Bompas, who relates this 
incident, tells most pathetically of the trials they 
had in connexion with burying the dead on the 
Mackenzie River. The Indians would beg packing- 
boxes from the Hudson Bay Company's officers, 

269 



BEYOND THE GREAT MOUNTAINS 

and as these were generally too small, arms and 
legs would often be seen hanging out of the box as 
it was lowered into the grave. 

Whenever the Indians arrived from some hunt- 
ing-grounds, the Bishop was kept busy almost night 
and day attending to their wants, and instructing 
them in the faith, if only for a few days. This 
teaching was by no means lost, for out on the hills 
and mountains the Indians had their daily services, 
when appointed leaders would instruct the others. 
Occasionally there would be turbulent spirits among 
these natives, but the Bishop was always able to 
control them. One day two Indians became engaged 
in a serious fight close by the mission. One, 
Roderick by name, was determined to kill the other, 
and was making desperate thrusts with a long, 
sharp knife. The Bishop, observing the encounter, 
made for the contestants, and, taking Roderick by 
the collar, quietly said, " Come." But the Indian 
still fought and slashed with his knife, the Bishop 
all the time retaining his hold and saying, " Come, 
come with me." After much effort he succeeded 
in separating them, and, half leading, half dragging, 
drew Roderick to the mission-house. Then the 
Indian, completely exhausted, sank upon a large 
stone near by. Ere long he began to realize how 
he had been saved from committing murder, and, 
reaching out his hand, seized that of the Bishop to 
thank him for what he had done. 

As the miners continued to arrive, the Bishop 
became much worried over the change that 

270 



BEYOND THE GREAT MOUNTAINS 

took place among his Indians, and sadly lie 
wrote : 

" Nothing could be of a greater contrast than the 
squalid poverty and want of all things in which the 
Indians here lived thirty years ago, and the lavish 
luxury and extravagance with which they now 
squander hundreds of dollars on needless food and 
dress, if not in a still more questionable manner. 
The Indians now place such high prices on any 
meat or fuel, or other things which they supply to 
the whites, such as leather or shoes, that it is hard 
for your missionaries to live with economy among 
them, and the worst of all is that the younger 
Indians are only too apt to imitate the careless 
whites in irreligion and debauchery." 

Each spring was a season of anxiety to the Bishop 
and his household. The mission- house was on an 
island, and when the ice of the great Yukon 
was going out there was often great danger. As 
the mighty blocks of ice moved by, and then 
jammed and piled high, the water would rise and 
flood the building. Several times they were 
awakened in the night to find the water rushing 
through the house, and were forced to climb aloft 
till the waters subsided. Through these dangers 
they were mercifully delivered by Him who had 
preserved them so often before. 

In 1893 the Rev. G. C. Wallis was compelled to 
return to England, owing to the ill-health of his 
wife, and this necessitated a change in the mission- 
aries who remained. Archdeacon and Mrs. Canham 

271 



BEYOND THE GREAT MOUNTAINS 

accordingly went to Rampart House ; the Rev. B. 
Totty, who had been admitted to Priest's Orders on 
July 15, 1894, and who had spent the winter of 
1893 at Rampart House, was sent to Fort Selkirk, 
while the Bishop and Mrs. Bompas remained at 
Forty Mile. 

Thus the Bishop was left with only two men, and 
the outlook appeared very discouraging. But just 
at the right moment there arrived on the scene a 
young man who was destined to be of great service 
in the pioneer work of the diocese. This was Mr, 
R. J. Bowen, who had been in the preparatory 
institution of the Church Missionary Society at 
Clapham for a short time, and who volunteered to 
go to Bishop Bompas as an industrial agent. This 
was in 1895, and not long after new conditions arose 
in the diocese, which taxed the minds and energy of 
the mission- workers to the utmost. 



272 



CHAPTER XVI 
THE FLOOD 

(1896-1900) 

" Thy hand, O God, has guided 
Thy flock from age to age ; 
The wondrous tale is written 
Full clear on every page."" 

The year 1896 marked a new era in mission- work 
in the Diocese of Selkirk. Up to this time the 
Bishop had been groping his way with a small force 
at his command. Often he became much dis- 
couraged, though pressing bravely forward. But 
upon the arrival of Mr. Bowen in 1895, the Rev. 
H. A. Naylor and his wife and Mr. F. F. Flewelling 
in 1896, sent out from Eastern Canada by the 
Canadian Church Missionary Society, prospects 
appeared much brighter. 

Not only was the Bishop cheered by the addition 
to his staff, but the arrival of the Right Rev. Peter 
Rowe, the new Bishop of Alaska, filled him with 
thankfulness. His joy, however, was somewhat 
marred when he learned that the sister Church of 
the United States had made no provision for the 
spiritual care of the Indians in the northern diocese. 

273 



THE FLOOD 

The great work of the Church Missionary Society 
among the Indians of Alaska, along the Yukon 
River, adjoining British territory, cannot be too 
strongly emphasized. From 1862, when the Rev. 
W. W. Kirkby crossed the Rocky Mountains and 
visited Fort Yukon, this post was held by the 
Rev. Robert McDonald till 1869, and a splendid 
work was carried on among the Indians for miles 
along the great river. When the United States 
Government purchased the territory of Alaska from 
Russia, the Indians had been left shepherdless but 
for the noble exertions of men of the Church of 
England, such as the Rev. V. C. Sim, the Rev. 
T. H. (afterwards Archdeacon) Canham, the Rev. 
R. J. Bowen in 1896, and the Rev. John Hawksley, 
who was stationed at Fort Yukon in 1897, having 
been transferred from the Mackenzie River Diocese. 
Bishop Rowe, upon his arrival, at once realized the 
condition of aflPairs, and sought to make an improve- 
ment. He was the right man in the right place. 
To him the Church was one, and national boun- 
daries formed no bar when souls were at stake. He 
asked Bishop Bompas to care for his Indians till he 
could take over the charge himself. This he did 
a few years later, and now has an earnest band of 
men working among the natives. 

Bishop Bompas, in 1893, had himself visited along 
the Yukon River to its mouth, holding services and 
baptizing a number of Indians. During the summer 
of 1896, in company with Archdeacon Canham, 
who was then on his way to England, he spent six 



THE FLOOD 

weeks at Fort Yukon. Concerning this visit among 
the Indians, the Bishop wrote : 

" It was a pleasure to me to hold a daily after- 
noon class of middle-aged men, at which several 
chapters of the New Testament were daily read by 
them, with intelligence and interest, in their own 
tongue, by way of exercise and at their own request. 
For the first two weeks I was mostly engaged in 
schooling from 8 a.m. to 8 j).m. Afterwards I was 
partly relieved by the arrival of the schoolmistress 
from Rampart House." 

Little did the Bishop realize while at Fort Yukon 
that an event was taking place in his diocese which 
in less than a year would change the whole aspect 
of mission-work. 

About fifty miles up stream from Forty Mile the 
Klondyke River joins the Yukon. From time 
immemorial this had been a favourite Indian fishing 
resort, and on various occasions missionaries had 
gone up from Forty Mile and held services for the 
natives. Little did they think, when pitching their 
tents at the confluence of these two streams, what a 
change would take place there in a few years. 

In July, 1896, George W. Carmack, with 
several Indian associates, made the famous gold 
discovery, news of which soon travelled abroad and 
thrilled the world with intense excitement. At the 
very time this information was speeding far and 
wide the Bishop was calmly writing : 

" There are about 500 miners now in this 
neighbourhood, and some few have gone out this 

277 



THE FLOOD 

summer with fortunes in gold-dust. The chief 
mining attraction just now is on the American side 
of the border, about 200 miles farther down the 
Yukon Kiver at Circle City, where there are said to 
be nearly 1,000 miners." 

This was in August, and with the opening of 
navigation the human flood arrived. The story of 
that great rush of 1897 and 1898 has scarcely a 
parallel in history. The Klondyke, a stream which 
a few years before geographers did not think worthy 
of notice, became a household word the world over. 
The Yukon River literally teemed with boats and 
rafts of every conceivable shape. Men poured in 
thousands over the frowning Chilkoot and White 
Pass summits, enduring untold hardships and 
dangers. Merchants left their stores, clerks their 
desks, farmers their ploughs, woodmen their axes, 
carefully nourished sons their homes of luxury, 
and rushed for the gleaming treasure. The city of 
Dawson sprang like magic into existence, and in the 
space of a few short months the Bishop found the 
civilized world thrust upon him. 

In the following extracts from letters to his 
brother George in England we catch brief glimpses 
of those stirring days : 

" Buxton Mission, 

" Upper Yukon River, 
« April 15, 1897. 

" I think I will put on paper for you a few notes 

about the sudden change that is taking place in 

the course of a striking Providence in this region. 

278 



THE FLOOD 

From being a poor, desolate, and neglected country, 
it is suddenly becoming a rich and populous one. 
This is the effect of the new and very valuable gold- 
mines discovered last year, about fifty miles south 
of us, at a place now called Klondyke, and Dawson 
City. These new mines are said to be as rich as 
any yet known for their size, which is at present 
very limited. Only about one hundred claims are 
yet found that are very profitable. . . . 

" At the new mines last autumn any claim could 
be bought for a few hundred dollars. Now we 
hear that some have already changed hands for 
50,000 dollars, and some are estimated to be 
worth 500,000 dollars. The owners of the richest 
claims are said to be leaving the country in spring, 
having already as much gold as they can carry, and 
being as rich as they care to be, and they will sell 
their claims at a high price to others. 

" The miners of Circle City, about 300 miles 
below us, have been coming up all winter hauling 
their sleds of provisions, to the number of about 
500, till the Yukon has become like a thronged 
thoroughfare. They have paid, I think, as much as 
250 dollars for an Indian dog to help haul their 
sleds. 

*' Flour and meal have both been selling during 
the winter at from half a dollar to one dollar per 
pound, and the Indians here loan out their dogs 
at one dollar per day. The Indians, too, get some- 
what rich, but, of course, they squander their 
money. 

279 



THE FLOOD 

" The temperature has been most singular. The 
winter set in very early, being severe in October, 
and partly so in November. Then three months, 
December, January, and February, were so mild 
that it was not like winter at all. This seems quite 
a providential favour to the numerous travellers. 

" For myself, during the past winter I have 
enjoyed more ease and leisure than usual, from 
having more helpers around me, and I have devoted 
my days to digging the mines of God's holy Word, 
and have found, in my own estimation, richer prizes 
than the nuggets of Klondyke." 

May 'Z%, 1897.— "I hear now that the creeks 
are so winding as to make the gold streak ex- 
tend 200 or 300 miles. I am told £4,000 was 
washed from the earth of one claim in one day. 
Another bought a claim for £10,000, and paid it all 
oif out of the ground in two or three months. The 
richest claims are thought to be worth £100,000 to 
£200,000. (A claim is 600 feet of the creek, which 
each miner is allowed to pick for himself at the 
start.) . . . From one to two dollars per pan is 
reported to be a common rate there. This is some- 
thing like taking your washing-basin, filling it with 
earth from your garden, and then, after washing 
away the earth with a little water, finding a silver 
crown or half a sovereign at the bottom. I suppose 
in such a case you might go again, and so do the 
miners. They next proceed to work with sluice- 
boxes, which is only a similar process on a larger 
scale. The earth is thrown into wooden boxes or 

280 



THE FLOOD 

troughs with a corrugated or uneven bottom, so as 
to retain the gold when the earth is washed out. 

" An Irishman who was here yesterday is said to 
do his work so badly that his wife used to make 
from four to twenty dollars a day by picking up his 
leavings. She is now gone on a visit home with her 
earnings." 

This new responsibility was a severe trial to the 
veteran of the North. So long had he laboured 
among the Indians that, as he sadly acknowledged, 
he was entirely unfitted for work among the whites. 
But, as has always been the case in the world's 
history, just when the need was greatest God raised 
up a man for the work. This was the Rev. R. J. 
Bowen, the young Clapham student, who had volun- 
teered for service, and was ordained by Bishop 
Bompas. We see in his case the working of the 
Divine hand. Mr. Bowen at first intended to labour 
among the Indians, and, in fact, did make several 
visits to their various camps, with encouraging 
results. But, finding that the Colonial and Con- 
tinental Church Society had made a grant for a 
mission to the miners, and being asked by the 
Bishop to take up this special work, he did so, and 
thus became the first missionary among the miners 
in the diocese. For a time the work consisted 
chiefly in visiting the creeks where the miners were 
scattered, and their cabins when in town, holding 
services when possible, and in every way endeavour- 
ing to win them to Christ. During the spring 
of 1896 he began to hold services at Forty Mile, 

281 p 



THE FLOOD 

" in the first mission building that was wholly 
devoted to the spiritual welfare of the miners." 
Thus, when thousands of men poured into the 
country, the Bishop had a man tested in pioneer 
work to send among them. 

At once Mr. Bowen started up the river to plant 
the standard of Christ in that excited camp of 
gold- seekers. It must have seemed a forlorn hope 
to the young missionary as he drew near the new 
town. Almost two years before he had visited that 
place, and on the very site where his camp had then 
been pitched large buildings were now erected, and 
a hurrying crowd thronged the streets. The great 
cry was gold ; for that the people had come, and 
not for religion. Yet among them Mr. Bowen 
began to work, and through his earnestness won 
the hearts of the miners, and induced many of 
them to attend service. 

These men were not miners in the ordinary sense 
of the word. Many had never handled a pick or 
shovel, but had been reared in ease in comfortable 
homes, sons of noble families, who had joined the 
mad rush to win a fortune in a short time. Such 
men were not slow to see the etiPorts the Mother 
Church was making for their spiritual welfare in 
the great north land. They saw the earnest 
missionary valiantly standing in their midst, plead- 
ing the Master's cause. Their hearts were touched, 
and around him they rallied. 

A church building was the next important con- 
sideration, and towards this the miners gave what 

282 



THE FLOOD 

they could in labour and money. But even a 
modest log edifice meant much in those days. 
Wages were $15 a day, and lumber 25 cents a foot. 
Then the Bishop cast about for some plan to help 
on the work. In 1896 he had applied to that noble 
handmaid of the Cliurch, the Society for Promoting 
Christian Knowledge, for money towards the build- 
ing of a church for the miners at Forty Mile. A 
grant of £250 was therefore made according to the 
rules of the Society. But when the sudden change 
took place, and the miners left Forty Mile and flocked 
to the new city of Dawson, the Bishop in 1897 wrote 
an urgent letter to the Society for Promoting Chris- 
tian Knowledge, asking permission " to remove the 
site of the proposed church from Forty Mile Creek 
to Klondyke Creek, where a greater need for it now 
exists. The stay of the miners at the rich Klondyke 
mines," he continued, " is likely to be permanent for 
ten years at least, and in case the whites should 
leave, there has always been a band of Indians at 
Klondyke, for whom the church would be available." 

The society accordingly acceded to the Bishop's 
request, and the money was transferred to the 
erection of the new church at Dawson. This 
building, composed of logs, was ere long erected 
under the name of St. Paul's, and a few years 
later was replaced by a large frame structure of 
imposing appearance. 

Two great societies of the Church had mission 
agents at work in the diocese : the Church Mis- 
sionary Society for the Indians, and the Colonial 

283 p 2 



THE FLOOD 

and Continental Church Society for the whites, 
while the Society for Promoting Christian Know- 
ledge aided in erecting churches and providing 
scholarships for the Indian schools. In 1892 the 
Society for the Propagation of the Gospel was 
appealed to by the Bishop for a man to labour 
among the miners, as the Church Missionary 
Society considered this beyond its scope. It was 
not, however, till the opening of the Klondyke gold- 
fields that an offer came to the Society for the 
Propagation of the Gospel from the Rev. G. W. 
Lyon for this special work. The Society at once 
made a grant of £200 for the purpose, and Mr. 
Lyon was sent out. He climbed the rugged 
Chilkoot Pass, and ministered to the people 
stationed at Lake Bennett, and upon the opening 
of navigation in 1898 started down to Dawson with 
a servant, Montegazza by name. While crossing 
Lake Laberge, both Mr. Lyon and his servant were 
drowned. Their bodies were recovered by the 
North-West Mounted Police, and buried on the 
shore of the lake. 

Considering the fact that other societies were 
already in the field, the Society for the Propagation 
of the Gospel did not renew its offer. But at Lake 
Bennett, Tagish, and Caribou Crossing, for con- 
venience, the work for a time was under the 
superintendence of Bishop Ridley, of the Diocese 
of Caledonia. When Bishop Bompas took charge of 
these two latter places the Society for the Propaga- 
tion of the Gospel withdrew from the field entirely. 

^4 



THE FLOOD 

When the Church work was well under way at 
Dawson, the Bishop for a while relieved Mr. 
Bowen, who returned to Forty Mile, and was united 
in marriage to Miss Mellet, who had been labouring 
in the diocese for some time as schoolmistress. At 
Dawson the Bishop was out of his element. So 
long had he laboured among the Indians that work 
among the whites was very hard. In his letters of 
that time he draws a pathetic picture of the con- 
dition of affairs : the dwindling of the congregations, 
and the frank acknowledgment of his own inability 
to do much among the miners. " But Christ reigns," 
he wrote, " and the work is His, not mine, and let 
us trust and hope." 

This worry, together with improper food, brought 
on a severe attack of scurvy, and when he went 
back to Forty Mile in April he was in a very weak 
condition. Yet, notwithstanding his illness, he per- 
sisted in conducting the Indian school and attending 
to his correspondence. 

" I cannot move," he wrote, " without losing my 
breath, nor walk a few steps without great pain. 
If I can hold on till I obtain green vegetables, they 
may benefit me." 

After a time " green vegetables " reached him 
from Dawson, and at once an improvement took 
place. To these the Bishop declared his recovery 
was almost entirely due. 

Mrs. Bompas, during this trying season, was at 
Fort Yukon, unable to reach the Bishop. She had 
been summoned to England, to the bedside of her 

285 



THE FLOOD 

sister, who was dangerously ill. On her return to 
San Francisco, after a few months' aljsence, she 
found that wild excitement reigned, owing to the 
Klondyke gold discovery. 

" The whole of the great city," so she writes, 
" was gathered on the wharf to witness the de- 
parture of the first steamer for Klondyke. On the 
boat itself the crowd was no less conspicuous. 
Men and women seemed locked together in frantic 
excitement. Shouts and cries were heard on all sides. 
Parting gifts were thrown on board, hats and hand- 
kerchiefs waved with enthusiasm, and in a few 
instances with wild sobs of pain. Then the anchor 
was raised, and the vessel started for St. Michael. 
Such a motley crowd is not often seen gathered 
together in one vessel. The Company did its best to 
accommodate all, but the attempt was but partially 
successful. Seven men were often the occupiers 
of one state-room, and the chief number of pas- 
sengers were of the roughest kind of miners. On 
reaching St. Michael, the same number of passengers 
were moved on to the smaller steamer. Here our 
discomforts were considerably increased." 

After a tedious voyage up the river. Fort Yukon 
was reached. It was a memorable day on which 
they arrived at this place. 

" The miners," continues Mrs. Bompas, " were 
looking eagerly forward to the gold-mines of the 
Klondyke, when the whole load of passengers were 
set ashore, and the captain announced that he was 
not going a step farther. Pra3^ers, entreaties, and 

286 



THE FLOOD 

remonstrances were unavailing. He gave no excuse 
for his conduct but that he was going back imme- 
diately to St. Michael — it was supposed to lay in a 
cargo of whisky." 

And at Fort Yukon Mrs. Bompas was stranded 
for eight long months, thirty miles within the Arctic 
circle. Fortunately, the Rev. John Hawkesly and 
family were stationed here, who did what they 
could for her comfort. But to the Bishop at Forty 
Mile, in feeble health, disturbing news arrived of 
the riotous times among the miners at Fort Yukon, 
and their desperate efforts to overpower the 
American soldiers. Such information caused him 
much anxiety, and most thankful was he when at 
length the ice ran out of the river, and Mrs. Bompas 
was able to continue on her way after the long delay. 

The following summer the Bishop turned his 
attention to the southern part of his diocese. Word 
had reached him of stirring towns on Lake Bennett 
and Lake Atlin. Thinking them to be in his juris- 
diction, he made the long and difficult journey up 
stream to view the land. Reaching Bennett during 
the summer of 1899, he was astonished to see a 
flourishing city containing thousands of people. 
But greater still was his surprise to find that 
Bennett and Atlin were in British Columbia, and 
that he had gone several miles beyond his diocese. 
His stay was very brief at Bennett, and on his 
return trip down the river he spent two days among 
the Indians at Tagish, gaining much information 
concerning these natives and their language. One 

287 



THE FLOOD 

week later Bishop Ridley arrived at Bennett, and, 
writing of the visit of the Bishop of Selkirk, he says : 

" Dr. Bompas has the full tide of civilization 
forced upon him to his sorrow. ... A week be- 
fore my arrival he stood where I now write. 
Would that he had waited the few days, that I might 
have had the honour of welcoming him to my 
diocese. He thought Bennett and Atlin were 
within his, and therefore ventured so far. Arriving 
here, he found that he had trespassed beyond his 
jurisdiction no less than fourteen miles. The news- 
paper man who reported an interview with him 
states that he hurried northwards and buried him- 
self once more in the frozen north, that no other 
man loves but for the sake of its gold. This report, 
copied into an American paper, added striking 
glosses to the account. AVhat would the dear 
Bishop think if he saw himself described as the 
most devoted of Catholic (meaning Roman Catholic) 
Bishops in the wide world ? This gloss was evi- 
dently by a Roman newsman, who covertly hit at 
the snug and comfortable lives of Protestants who 
assumed episcopal authority. Bishop Bompas, 
says the paper, was so modest that he would not 
talk of the countless hairbreadth escapes from 
awful peril and death, treating them as phases of 
everyday life not to be counted worthy of notice." 

The following winter Bishop Bompas remained 
at the Indian village of Moosehide, and, amidst 
school labours and diocesan cares, formed plans for 
important extension of the mission-work. 

J288 



CHAPTER XVII 
"FAINT YET PURSUING" 

(1901-1906) 

" Plain patient work fulfilled that length of life." 

Arthur Hugh Clough. 

When on a visit to one of his mission-stations 
during his later years, the Bishop was asked to 
write a few lines in an autograph album. He at 
once complied with the request, and wrote the 
words, which he felt applied to him as they did to 
Gideon and his 300, " Faint yet pursuing." 

Years of strenuous work were telling upon his 
gigantic constitution, and he began to realize that 
ere long he must lay down the staff of office. For 
some time he had his attention turned towards the 
southern portion of the diocese, to the Indians who 
were gathered at Caribou Crossing, which had become 
quite an important railway centre. In August, 
1901, he and Mrs. Bompas bade farewell to all at 
Forty Mile, and started on their journey up the 
river. Whitehorse was only in its infancy, and the 
Rev. R. J. and Mrs. Bo wen had just returned from 
England to take charge of the Church work. In 

289 



" FAINT YET PURSUING " 

the little tent they received the venerable couple, and 
did all in their power to minister to their comfort. 
The accommodation at Caribou Crossing was most 
meagre. A tent which belonged to Bishop Ridley 
gave them shelter for a few hours, when, hearing of 
a bunk-house across the river, they at once rented 
it, and afterwards purchased it for 150 dollars. It 
was dirty and uncomfortable, but the Bishop placed a 
rug and blanket on the big table for Mrs. Bompas 
to rest on, while he went to explore. The house was 
infested with gophers, which ran along the rafters, 
causing great annoyance. But notwithstanding the 
toil of the day, Evening Prayer was held in Bishop 
Ridley's tent. Here services were conducted till 
the fall, when the weather grew so cold that 
Mrs. Bompas's fingers became numb as she played 
at the little harmonium, which she had brought 
with her. After that services, morning and even- 
ing, were held at the mission-house, " which," 
as Mrs. Bompas tells us, " had been used as a 
road -house and post-office, and possessed one 
good-sized room, over the door of which there 
still exists the ominous word ' Bar-room ' (now 
hidden behind a picture) ; and in this room we 
had to gather, Indians and white people, for 
Sunday and weekday services, for baptisms, marri- 
ages, and funerals, for school-children and adult 
classes, etc." 

In 1903 Bishop Ridley, of Caledonia, paid a visit 
to Caribou Crossing on his way to Atlin. His 
description of the episcopal residence and the life 

^90 




The Bishop and Mrs. Bompas and an Indian Girl 
AT THE Bishop's House, Carcross 



"FAINT YET PURSUING" 

of the venerable occupants is most interesting, 
and a few extracts must be given here. 

" There on the platform stands the straight and 
venerable hero of the North, Dr. Bompas, the Bishop 
of Selkirk. I jumped from the train, and, though 
I had never met him before, I grasped his hand and 
exclaimed : ' At last ! at last !' We knew each 
other well by letter only. He was as placid as the 
mountains and the lakes they embosom." 

Then a glimpse is permitted of the " Bishop's 
house, built of logs, on the sand. The flooring-boards 
were half an inch apart ; so shrunken were they that 
it would be easy to rip them up and lay them down 
close together. Then the roof : it was papered, 
with battens across the paper. I was anxious to see 
inside less of the light of heaven through the rents. 
Ventilation is carried to excess. Evervthino; around 
is as simple as indifference to creature comforts can 
make it, excepting the books, which are numerous, 
up to date, and as choice as any two excellent 
scholars could wish. 

" The question that has often sprung from my 
heart has been this : if this poor £30 affair 
is by comparison delightful, what of the con- 
trivances that have sheltered them in the past 
forty years ? 

" Never in my life did I value hospitality so 
much, or feel so honoured, as here under the roof 
of these grand apostles of God. Two septua- 
genarians of grace and broad culture, whose years 
have been spent nobly in God's eyes, have 

293 



" FAINT YET PURSUING " 

deliberately chosen an austere type of service, not 
for austerity's sake, but for Christ's sake, under 
circumstances the average citizen of the Empire 
would feel to be past endurance. They are as 
happy as heroic. She, accomplished far beyond the 
standard one meets with in London drawing-rooms, 
unless among the most cultured circles ; he, a fine 
scholar, steeped in Hebrew and Syrian lore, as well 
as in the commoner studies of the clergy, live on, 
love on, labour on in this vast expanse, little 
trodden but by the Indians for whom they live and 
will die. 

" If such lives fail in Christ's cause, that cause 
is doomed. Let those who criticize cease their 
cackling, and try to imitate by self-sacrifice such 
lives as those I have just touched on, and they, too, 
may have some share in the betterment of man- 
kind, the expansion of Christ's kingdom, and the 
eternal welfare of humanity." 

Bishop Bompas notes in one of his reports that 
Caribou Crossing " forms the centre of a hitherto 
unoccupied area, and forges, perhaps, one of the last 
links of the chain of the Church Missionary Society 
stations which girdle the world." 

Anxious days followed the Bishop's removal to 
this place. Clergy were scarce in the diocese, and 
when Mr. Bowen left Whitehorse earnest appeals 
were sent " outside " for men. Then it was, upon 
the Bishop's earnest request, that the Rev. I. O. 
Stringer arrived in November, 1903, to take up the 
work laid down by Mr. Bowen. Much pleased was 

294* 



« FAINT YET PURSUING " 

the Bishop to have Mr. Stringer so near, and at 
once marked him as his successor. 

Then followed the death of his old friend Arch- 
bishop Machray, and as senior Bishop of the 
province of Rupert's Land he was summoned to 
Winnipeg. A message reached him from Mr. John 
Machray, nephew of the late Primate, telling him 
of the Archbishop's death, with the addition : " As 
senior Bishop it is important that you should attend 
a conference of Bishops in Winnipeg to select a 
successor." 

Though the Bishop shrank much from leaving 
the north to mingle with the bustling world, yet, 
after a few minutes' thought, he sent back the 
following answer : 

" I will try to be with you by Easter." 

And on Easter Eve, April, 1904, with Mrs. 
Bompas, and Susie, a little deaf-and-dumb girl,* he 
was met by several of the clergy at Winnipeg, and 
was present at St. John's Cathedral on Easter Day, 
though only as one of the congregation, being too 
much overcome by the crowd and bustle of the city 
to take any active part in the service. 

On the following Sunday he was able to preach 
in St. John's Cathedral. " His sermon," so Mrs. 
Bompas tells us, " was in his usual earnest and un- 
embellished style, referring to the last time he had 
officiated in that church, nearly thirty years before, 

* This girl was placed in the Deaf and Dumb Institution 
at Winnipeg. She died on February 26, 1907, of tubercu- 
losis, aged ten years. 

295 



"FAINT YET PURSUING " 

alluding with pathos to the many who had left the 
l)usy whirl of life during that period, and expressing 
his great pleasure that, among the many changes 
that were taking place in the Church, the services 
of St. John's Cathedral still retained something of 
their old, almost austere, simplicity." 

Many and varied must have been the thoughts 
which surged through the Bishop's mind during his 
visit to Winnipeg. He was on historic ground, 
made sacred by the names of noble men who had 
toiled so hard for the Master's cause. There was 
John West, the pioneer missionary of the Church 
of England in the country ; Archdeacon Cockran, 
the " sturdy Northumbrian from Chillingham," who 
did such a great work for the Indians and half-breeds ; 
Archdeacon Cowley, of undaunted courage and 
determination, able " either to build a stone wall 
or to go through one " as occasion required ; and 
the noble Dr. Anderson, first Bishop of Rupert's 
Land, " whose heartiness and practical good sense 
were conspicuously manifest for sixteen years in the 
forests and over the snowfields of Rupert's Land." 

But there was one figure which the veteran from 
the North most sadly missed, and whose absence 
was the cause of his visit to Winnipeg. It was his 
firm friend and adviser of long years, the venerable 
Archbishop Machray. He saw him for the last 
time in 1874, standing on the Red River bank, near 
St. John's College, waving his hand in adieu to him 
and Mrs. Bompas as they proceeded northward. 

They had been set apart the same year in England 

296 



"FAINT YET PURSUING " 

for work in the Canadian North-West, and while one 
bravely upheld the standard of the Lord in the far 
North, and ministered to scattered bands of Indians 
and a few white people, the other laid the strong 
foundation and planned for the welfare of the 
Church over the vast diocese. No more fitting- 
tribute could be given to this great Bishop than that 
made by the Ven. Archdeacon Ker, in St. George's 
Church, Montreal, March 13, 1904, a portion of 
which must be included here : 

" As the great Hebrew captain (Joshua) was per- 
mitted to see the twelve tribes of Israel encamped 
around him in peace, according to their lots, so in 
like manner the Archbishop of Rupert's Land was 
permitted to see the Israel of God encamped and 
entrenched around in their dioceses, Saskatchewan 
and Moosonee, Mackenzie River and Athabasca, 
Qu'Appelle and Selkirk, Keewatin and Calgary — 
each diocese according to its boundaries. . . . He 
lived to see all this — to see towns and cities spring 
up magic-like while he gazed; to see his college 
grow into a university, and the clergy of his diocese 
increase by scores and scores ; to see the Church of 
England in Canada united in one bond of faith and 
love, working with one heart and one mind for the 
universal extension of the kingdom of God. All 
this he witnessed ; and long years before, when he 
stood the lonely missionary at Fort Garry, his 
master mind saw and saluted the coming glory. 
And when at last the silence of the desert was 
broken by the tramp of the hosts carried thither in 

297 



"FAINT YET PURSUING" 

search of new homes and new hopes, the Archbishop 
was ready, and, so far as he could prepare her, the 
Church of England was ready to deal with the 
manifold difficulties presented by the new conditions. 

" The memory of such a life, such an example, 
is the splendid heritage of the Canadian Church. 
It is many-sided, and suggests many thoughts 
worthy of consideration. The dignity of personal 
self-sacrifice for Jesus Christ's sake ; the dignity 
of the lonely watcher, who in the kingdom and 
patience of Jesus Christ waits for the dawn ; the 
dignity of the labourer in the Master's vineyard 
who toils at his task, whatever or wherever it may 
be, in blazing summer and frosty winter, all through 
life's weary day, only ceasing his labours when 
the sun has gone down in the west for the last 
time, when the sight has gone for ever from the 
eyes, when the hands are folded in death, and the 
great soul has been summoned to its kindred in the 
Paradise of God."* 

The Bishop's time was fully occupied during his 
stay in Winnipeg. There were old friends calling 
upon him, reporters seeking interviews, meetings to 
attend, and addresses to deliver, which wearied him 
very much. His voice was feeble, and could not be 
distinctly heard at the gatherings where he told of 
his northern diocese. But what did that matter ? 
The people thought rather of the man — the man of 
whom they had heard such wonderful things — and 
cheered him heartily. 

* The New Era, May, 1904. 
298 



" FAINT YET PURSUING '' 

The Archbishop of Rupert's Land, in an address 
at the 107th Anniversary of the Church Missionary 
Society, at Exeter Hall, London, April, 1907, thus 
referred to the visit of Bishop Bompas to Winnipeg : 

" Dr. Bompas, that splendid veteran missionary, 
who came down at the time of my election — he 
was as humble as a little child — when he stood on 
the platform at a great missionary meeting, and 
when I, introducing him, spoke of the hardships he 
had gone through, corrected me thus when he 
started to speak. He said : ' It is you men at the 
centre, with your telephones and your telegrams, 
who have the hardships. We have a soft time in 
the north. Nobody ever worries us.' That is all 
that he said about his hardships. Then he told the 
story of his work in a simple childlike way." 

But the city life did not agree with him. He 
longed for his northern flock, and the quietness of 
his little log house at Caribou Crossing. A doctor 
was consulted, who strongly advised him not to 
return to his diocese for some time. Before this 
the Bishop was uncertain when he would return ; 
but after the doctor's verdict had been given he 
hesitated no longer, but fixed a date for his departure. 
Only three weeks did he stay in Winnipeg, and 
then started northward. Acts of kindness were 
showered upon him on every hand. All delighted 
to honour the noble missionary in their midst. 
As he stood on the platform before leaving Winni- 
peg, an unknown friend, knowing that the Bishop 
would not afford himself the luxury of a good 

299 Q 



« FAINT YET PURSUING ' 

berth, slipped into his hand a ticket for one in the 
Pullman car. 

When once again in his own diocese, the longing 
grew stronger for rest, and he became impatient 
for the time when his successor would be appointed. 
Then, the delay in the election of the new Arch- 
bishop gave him much concern. He felt it was 
his duty to go once more to Winnipeg to hasten 
matters, and many were the letters written and 
received before everything was finally arranged. 
His annual trip down the river to visit the various 
mission-stations became more and more of a burden, 
and he wished to stay quietly in one place to carry 
on his desired work. 

And that desired work filled him with gladness. 
" The daily round, the common task," was all that 
he asked for. Praise might go to others, he wished 
for none for himself. The Indian school occupied 
much of his time, and part of each morning Avas 
given up to it. The building over the river, which 
at first had been used for the school, was exchanged 
for the log police-barracks, quite close to the 
mission-house. It was an interesting sight to 
observe the venerable, grey-haired teacher among 
a number of stirring young Indian pupils. Gladly 
did he leave his beloved translations to be awhile 
the teacher. 

" Freely the sage, though wrapped in musings high, 
Assumed the teacher's part."" 

Though the Bishop used to say that to teach 
Indians was a very difl^icult task, " like writing in 

300 




The Mission School at Carcross 



* FAINT YET PURSUING " 

the sand, instead o£ graving in the rock," yet he 
never gave up, hut went bravely on till the last. 

A portion of his time was devoted to letter- writing 
and translation work. He was always an early 
riser, and his letters were written in the early 
morning in the quietness of his study. Letter- 
writing he seemed to love, and seldom did he pen 
less than six or seven missives a day. It was in 
this manner he could express himself most freely, 
and sometimes, when wishing to convey a message 
to a member of his household, he would do so by 
letter, at times leaving it at the post-office to be 
delivered later in the day. 

Rarely did he miss meeting the train on its arrival 
at the settlement, that he might be at hand to receive 
his mail as soon as possible. His tall, erect figure, 
with the leather travelling-bag slung across his 
shoulder, walking up and down the platform, was 
a most familiar sight. Strangers Avould gaze with 
curiosity upon the veteran of the North, of whom 
they had heard so much, and often snapshots were 
taken, to be reproduced in books, magazines, or 
newspaper articles. This latter the Bishop bore 
with good-natured tolerance, considering it a neces- 
sary evil, and one of the discomforts of modern 
civilization. He told one of his clergy — him who 
now wields the episcopal staff — who was busy taking 
a number of pictures of the Bishop and his Indian 
school, that he did not wish to see him go, but he 
would like to see the camera make a hasty departure. 

For some time the Bishop wished to change the 

303 Q 2 



"FAINT YET PURSUING " 

name of Caribou Crossing, as his letters often went to 
other places of a similar name, and thus caused much 
delay and confusion. After careful consideration, 
he chose the name of " Carcross." Many objected 
to the change, and strongly worded articles were 
written in the local paper condemning the " mongrel 
name of Carcross." The Bishop remained silent, 
replying to none of these attacks. At length a 
letter appeared, addressed to the Bishop, from the 
Secretary of the Geographic Board of Canada, 
stating that at a meeting of the Board " the name 
' Carcross ' was approved instead of ' Caribou ' or 
' Caribou Crossing.' " The Bishop smiled, but said 
nothing. Since then the new name has steadily 
won its way. 

Notwithstanding the school work and study, 
ample time was found for other duties which de- 
volved upon him. There were Indians calling at 
most unseasonable hours for assistance in some per- 
plexing question. The advice thus freely given 
w^as often interpreted in most unexpected ways. 
On one occasion he had a long talk with an Indian 
who had taken a young woman as his second wife, 
having wearied of the first. The Bishop told him 
it was wrong to have two wives, and that he should 
only have one. The Indian seemed much sur- 
prised with these words, and promised to obey ; 
but, to the astonishment of all, he put away his 
old, faithful wife and kept the younger. 

Once at a wedding of two Indians the Bishop 
repeated very carefully the words, " for better, for 

304 



"FAINT YET PURSUING" 

worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in 
health," etc., and told the groom to repeat them 
after him. The Indian was much puzzled. He 
could not repeat the words, neither could he under- 
stand their meaning, and looked vacantly around. 
After a time a light illumined his face, and, turning 
to his passive, dusky bride, he said : 

" Me sick, you take care me ; you sick, me take 
care you — eh ?" 

The building of the new church at Carcross was 
a great comfort to the Bishop. Services had been 
held in the mission-house, which was much too small 
to accommodate all who attended. The cost of 
building was met almost entirely by kind friends 
outside the diocese. In 1904 Mrs. Bompas visited 
Eastern Canada, and addressed the Women's 
Auxiliary at Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, and 
Quebec on mission- work in the North. Great was 
her surprise when, at the Annual Meeting of this 
noble handmaid of the Church, at the cathedral in 
Toronto, she was presented with the generous gift 
of $800 towards the church building fund for 
St. Saviour's, Carcross. Other gifts came steadily 
in, and the success of the church was complete. 

In the erection of this little building the Bishop 
was most active, not only superintending the work, 
but doing much manual labour himself. It was a 
happy day when at last it was opened for service. 
It was consecrated on August 8, 1904, after Mrs. 
Bompas's return to the diocese. 

The services were of a very simple nature, for 

305 



"FAINT YET PURSUING " 

the Bishop seemed to have an almost complete dis- 
regard for external things. Seldom did he wear his 
episcopal robes, not even when visiting the different 
mission-stations in his diocese, being content to use 
the long white surplice, with the black stole, and 
without his Doctor's hood. This was a cause of worry 
to Mrs. Bompas, who rejoiced to see all things done 
" decently and in order." Once on the Mackenzie 
River, when starting to hold a Confirmation service 
some distance away, he was urged by Mrs. Bompas to 
take his episcopal robes. He refused to do so, saying 
that the surplice was sufficient. On that trip his boat 
was swamped, and everything was lost, and only with 
difficulty were he and his companions saved. 

Though caring little for the outward observances 
of worship, he had a jealous regard for his episcopal 
office, as an extract from a letter to one of his 
clergy will show : 

" As the Epiphany appeals were sent direct to 
the clergy this year and not to me, I have not yet 
notified you on the subject. I think the Mission 
Board rather wrongs the episcopal office, and makes 
the other Bishops also interlopers in all the dioceses. 
Any request to the clergy ought to come from their 
own Bishop only. No Bishop has any other 
authority than over his own see, and any request 
from the Mission Board should come through their 
own Bishop to the clergy. 

" However, we need not quarrel with them, as it 
is well meant, and they are not likely to put my 
name to any future letters or addresses without my 

306 




Bishop Bompas 



" FAINT YET PURSUING " 

seeing them. It is a good address, and I read it 
last night. 

" I think the modern idea must be that in ecclesi- 
astical matters all irregularities, however grave, and 
of whatever kind, are quite reasonable and proper." 

Great was the Bishop's pleasure when a message 
arrived summoning Mr. Stringer to Winnipeg for 
consecration. Anxiously he awaited his return to 
take over the work. For some time his heart had 
been set upon going to Little Salmon, on the Yukon 
River, to start a mission among the Indians at that 
place, and he discussed plans with the enthusiasm 
of youth. This idea filled him with happiness, and 
the following words, penned on December 29, 1905, 
express the state of his feelings : 

" We are fast approaching the close of the year, 
and I am very thankful to find it ending so tran- 
quilly, with such fair prospects for the future. 
Things have assumed a much brighter prospect for 
myself since Christmas." 

During the month of January the cold was so 
intense and the storms so severe that the trains 
were unable to run. The Bishop became impatient 
at the delay. He longed to hear when Bishop 
Stringer would leave for the North, that he might 
be free once again to go down the river to work 
among his dusky flock. 

" It has been dull times for us this week," he 
wrote, " without trains." 

But at length his successor arrived, and with great 
eagerness he handed over the charge of the diocese. 

309 



CHAPTER XVIII 
LIGHT AT EVENTIDE 

(1906) 

" God's finger touched him and he slept."" 

Tennyson. 

In a famous picture an old warrior, scarred in many 
a fierce battle, is seen hanging up his sword ; his 
work ended, he could afford to rest. But not so 
with Bishop Bompas, the faithful soldier of the 
Cross. No thought of ease entered his mind, but 
only more work for the Master. As St. Paul of 
old handed on his commission to St. Timothy, so 
did this veteran apostle of a later day pass on the 
torch to a younger son in the faith, that he might 
be free for other work. Then came the end, the 
last scene in the life of this noble man. 

Far away in dear old England, 7,000 miles from 
a quiet grave in the great Canadian north land, the 
following account of those last days has been 
beautifully written as a loving tribute by her, the 
faithful wife, who for long years bore with the 
devoted Bishop the burden and heat of the day : 

" The storms on Lake Bennett, on the shores of 

310 



LIGHT AT EVENTIDE 

which Carcross is situated, are at times pretty 
severe. The winds blow in gusts down the steep 
mountain gullies, and toss into fury the waters of 
the lake. The depth of that lake between Carcross 
and Bennett is very great. It has often been 
sounded and no bottom reached. Many a hastily 
run-up scow, full of brave, enterprising miners, has 
been wrecked on these waters, and many a nameless 
grave in the white man's territory marks the rest- 
ing-place of some poor fellow who was strong to 
venture, but had not learnt to realize the many 
dangers and vicissitudes of a miner's life. But the 
lake has its periods of calm no less than those of 
turmoil and unrest. Mark it on some evening of 
summer, when scarcely a ripple stirs its surface. 
The reflection of the mountains on the water is so 
clear and vivid that one is tempted to doubt which 
is the reality and which is the shadow. 

" Such a calm, such a change from turmoil into 
peace, marked the evening of the life we have been 
considering. We believe that God's servants have 
been given a premonition of the approach of death. 
The Bishop had laid his plans some months ahead, 
and made necessary preparations for a winter down 
the river. He had always been remarkable for 
physical strength and energy. For his winter 
travelling he was always seen running, with the 
jaunty pace of the northern tripper, ahead of his 
sledge. He was ever ready to help the men hauling 
up a boat at some of the portages, or in pushing it 
down the bank into the river. Among our party it 

313 



LIGHT AT EVENTIDE 

was always tlie Bishop who insisted on charging 
himself with the heaviest articles, and it was only 
within the last two years that he abstained from 
haulino: water from the lake for the whole of 
our lioiisehold. But symptoms of some diminution 
of strength and vigour in this strong man were 
be2:innin2: to show themselves. The eves that had 
pored so long with imperfect light over the pages 
of Hebrew and Syriac, in which he so delighted, 
were failing, and had to be strengthened by glasses 
stronger and yet stronger still. Since his last 
attack of scurvy he had lost all sense of smell or 
taste. No one could be with the Bishop many 
hours without observing an expression of weariness 
and dejection in his countenance, which was as 
intense as it was pathetic. He was often heard 
whispering, ' Courage, courage.' To more than one 
of his friends he had given his impression that he 
had not long to live. To his brother he wrote just 
a year before his death : ' For myself, I am most 
thankful to be in this happy retirement. When the 
time comes, I hope for as tranquil an earthly ending 
as that of our brother George, though perhaps mine 
may be more sudden, and possibly not even in my 
bed.' 

" The Bishop's burden of responsibility had of 
late years been greatly increased by the advent of 
the white men. The population of the diocese had 
increased sevenfold and at rapid strides. The 
problem of providing for the spiritual needs of 
these people, and especially of keeping the Indians 

314 



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^Hlfu«^'"wm T^ ■ 


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Church Bell at Conrau which formerly hung on 
THE house of Bishop Bompas 




Hauling Supplies to Conrad. The Bishop helped to 
load the Sledge 



LIGHT AT EVENTIDE 

from the allurements of the whisky traffic and the 
snares of the gambling-table, was weighing heavily 
upon him. But the darkest hour is the hour before 
the dawn ; the labourer's task was nearly accom- 
plished. The Rev. I. O. Stringer had been 
nominated by the Bishop and approved by the 
Church Missionary Society and the Canadian Board 
of Missions as successor to Bishop Bompas in the 
See of Selkirk (Yukon). He was a good man and an 
earnest Churchman, and had had some years' experi- 
ence of mission- work among the Indians of Peel 
River and the Esquimaux of Herschel Island, at the 
mouth of the Mackenzie. Mr. Stringer was con- 
secrated Bishop in St. John's Cathedral, Winnipeg, 
December 17, 1905, and his arrival in Selkirk 
Diocese was ardently looked for. With him was 
expected the Rev. A. E. O'Meara, of Toronto, to 
be placed in charge of the newly started mission at 
Conrad, twelve miles from Carcross, the centre of 
a new mining camp. 

"And so, with the mission staff a little better 
equipped, with the work of the diocese passing 
into younger and less toilworn hands, our Bishop 
could now turn his thoughts to his own plans for 
the coming months. The Church Missionary 
Society had suggested to him a retiring jiension, but 
this he declined to accept, unless he continued in 
some department of the work of the mission. His 
great desire now, and one which had for a long 
time past occupied his thoughts, was to start a new 
mission on Little Salmon River, where there are 

317 



LIGHT AT EVENTIDE 

often congregated together 200 Indians who have 
seldom come within sound of the Gospel. But 
Bishop Stringer and others dissuaded him from the 
new venture, thinking that the work of starting a 
new mission, with the prospect of having to build a 
house and get in supplies for the coming winter, 
was one for which neither the Bishop himself nor 
his wife, at their advanced age, were fitted. Accept- 
ing this disappointment as God's will. Bishop 
Bompas prepared to go down the river to Forty 
Mile, below Dawson. Now was there bustle and 
unrest on the mission premises at Carcross pre- 
paratory to the departure. 

" A passage for the Bishop and Mrs. Bompas 
and two Indian girls had been secured on one of 
the river steamers to sail on Monday. This was 
Saturday, June 9, a day calm and bright as our 
summer days in the far North mostly are. The 
Bishop was as active as ever on that day. Twice 
he had walked across the long railway-bridge, and 
his quick elastic step had been commented on as 
that of a young man. Later he had been up to 
the school, and on to the Indian camp to visit some 
sick Indians. Then he went home, and remained 
for some time in conversation with Bishop Stringer, 
into whose hands he had already committed all the 
affairs of the diocese. Then the mission-party 
dined together, and at eight o'clock they all 
reassembled for prayers. After prayers the Bishop 
retired to his study and shut the door. 

" Was there, we wonder, any intimation of the 

318 




O 'O 



2 ^ 
- a 



LIGHT AT EVENTIDE 

coming rest in the breast of that stalwart warrior, 
whose end of life was now so near as to be reckoned, 
not by hours, but by minutes only ? Was there 
any consciousness of having fought a good fight, 
and finished his course ? We know not. Sitting 
on a box, as was his custom, he began the sermon 
which proved to be his last. Presently the pen 
stopped : the hand that so often had guided it was 
to do so no more. Near him was one of his fiock, an 
Indian girl, who needed some attention, and as he 
arose he leaned his elbow on a pile of boxes. And 
while standing there the great call came ; the hand 
of God touched him, and the body which had 
endured so much fell forward. When Bishop 
Stringer reached his side a few minutes later, the 
Indian girl was holding his head in her lap. Nothing 
could be done, and without a struggle, without one 
word of farewell, the brave soul passed forth to a 
higher life. 

" And so the tale is told, the chapter ended, of 
that life begun seventy-two years since. A suffer- 
ing, quiet, uneventful life, and yet, we hope, not all 
unfruitful of God's glory, and of souls won for 
the fold of the Good Shepherd. Most aptly do the 
words of the poet apply to him : 

" ' O good grey head which all men knew, 

O voice from which their omens all men drew, 
O iron nerve to true occasion true, 
O fallen at length that tower of strength 
Which stood four-square to all the winds that blew. 
Such was he whom we deplore. 
The long self-sacrifice of life is o'er.' 
321 



LIGHT AT EVENTIDE 

" The awe and silence which overspread the 
camp and school and mission that night and the 
following day were very striking. By the morning 
of Sunday, tidings of the Bishop's death had been 
flashed to Ottawa and London and all down the 
river. On Tuesday morning notices of the Bishop's 
life and work were in many American and Canadian 
newspapers, with his portrait. 

" The funeral had to be on Monday, June 11, 
the Festival of St. Barnabas (the Son of Conso- 
lation). Messages came from the Indians down 
the river, as well as from friends elsewhere, ex- 
pressing deepest sympathy with Mrs. Bompas in 
the terrible shock she had sustained. The 
Indians heard with extreme satisfaction that their 
friend and Bishop had once expressed a wish to be 
buried among them. Two of them came and 
offered to dig liis grave, adding, ' You no pay me.' 
In the Indian cemetery, tlierefore, beautifully 
situated less than a mile from Carcross, was the 
grave made ready. The mountains, clad with 
their dark pine-woods, looked down grave and 
solemn on the Indians' burial-ground. There were 
not many graves, but they were well and carefully 
kept and tended, for they were all friends who lay 
there, and we knew the life and history of each one. 
Below the cemetery were the waters of the lake, 
in summer ever studded with swift canoes or white 
man's row - boats, or the steamer Gleamer and 
smaller vessels. But on this day there was no 
movement on the lake. All vessels had their flags 

322 




50 



LIGHT AT EVENTIDE 

half-mast high, and deferred their sailing that their 
captains and men might attend the funeral. It 
took place at five o'clock. On account of the 
distance, only two of the Bishop's clergy were able 
to take part in the solemn service, Mr. O'Meara, 
of Conrad, and Mr, Cody, of Whitehorse. 

"The little church of St. Saviour's was now 
filled with all the white population of Carcross and 
all the Indians who had come to do honour to the 
great man who had fallen in their midst. The two 
hymns chosen from the Hymnal Companion were 
most appropriate — one, * For all the Saints,' telling 
of the triumph of the saints of God after earth's 
hard fight ; the other, ' Jesus lives,' breathing forth 
the blessed hope of victory over the grave and a 
glorious resurrection. The service was conducted 
by Bishop Stringer, assisted by the two clergymen, 
and then the dear Bishop's body was lifted into a 
boat waiting at the foot of the bank, and rowed by 
two natives over water as smooth as glass to the 
cemetery. Three white men and three Indians 
carried the body from the shore to the grave, and, 
after the beautiful service had been read, the 
children of the Indian mission-school came one by 
one and dropped into the grave their little offerings 
of wild flowers, which had been gathered for the 
occasion. 

" There is a humble grave in one of the loveliest 
and most secluded spots in the Yukon territory. 
Dark pine-forests guard that grave. During the 
winter months pure untrodden snow covers it. It is 

325 



LIGHT AT EVENTIDE 

enclosed by a rough fence made of fir-wood, which 
an Indian woodman cut down and trimmed, leaving 
the bark on, and then fixed strong and stable around 
the grave. But none will disturb that spot, no foot 
of man or beast will dishonour it ; the sweet notes 
of the Canadian robin and the merry chirp of the 
snow-bird are almost the only sounds which break 
the silence of that sacred place. The Indians love 
that grave ; the mission children visit it at times 
with soft stej)s and hushed voices to lay some cross 
of wild flowers or evergreen upon it. There is a 
grey granite headstone with the words, ' In the 
peace of Christ,' and the name and age of him who 
rests beneath. It is the grave of Bishop Bompas." 

" On the night of the Bishop's death," says Bishop 
Stringer, " one group of Indians after another came 
to the Bishop's house, with sorrow depicted on each 
face as they asked at first if the sad news were 
true, and then other questions, showing their deep 
concern. In the morning they came one by one to 
look for the last time on the face of him who was 
always their friend. Never more could he listen 
patiently to all their troubles — never again would 
he get up from the midst of his work and tramp off 
half a mile to their camps to see a sick person, and 
give all the relief possible in medicine, food, and 
clothing, and, above all, advice in their many 
adversities and, oftentimes, complicated troubles. 

" The day after the funeral an Indian and his 
wife arrived on foot from Skagway. As Mrs. 
Bompas went out to shake hands with them as old 

326 



LIGHT AT EVENTIDE 

friends, she said, ' Bishop has gone.' The woman 
looked interested, thinking she meant he had gone 
to visit some of the other missions. Mrs. Bompas 
tried to explain. ' Bishop dead three days,' she 
said. Then the truth seemed to dawn on the Indian 
woman, and she repeated, with rising inflection, 
' Bishop dead ? Bishop dead ? Bishop dead ?' at 
the same time giving vent to such a wail as I 
scarcely ever heard from a human being. I then 
realized more than ever how much the loss of our 
dear Bishop meant to his own people, the Indians." 

All men had a profound respect for Bishop 
Bompas, especially the hardy prospectors. They 
had endured so much on the lonely trails that they 
looked upon him as one of themselves, who 
had not spent his life in ease and luxury, but 
struggling with Nature at her sternest. In speaking 
of the late Bishop, a prospector at Carcross said : 

" I feel as if I had lost my best friend. Some- 
times some of us were hard up, no funds and no 
food ; but we always felt we could turn to the 
Bishop for help. We knew that to knock at his 
door and ask him if there was any odd job we could 
do meant always, and especially if the Bishop knew 
we were hard up, that he would find something for 
us to do — now some wood to get, or, again, some 
stove-pipe to fix, or a few nails to drive for Mrs. 
Bompas, or some other work that would give him 
the opportunity to pay us suflScient to keep soul 
and body together." 

Bishop Stringer, who records this conversation, 

329 K 



LIGHT AT EVENTIDE 

also mentions that on the Mackenzie River he once 
met a miner who had been in Dawson in the early 
days. " When asked if he knew Bishop Bompas, 
he said he thought he had not seen him. When he 
was described as a pioneer in the land, he suddenly 
exclaimed, ' Oh yes ; that's the man who wrote the 
book. I have often seen him and spoken to him. 
Many of us have read his book. The miners know 
him as " the man who wrote the book." ' He 
referred to the ' History of the Mackenzie River 
Diocese,' which contains much matter of interest 
to the miner about the North." 

The letters received by Mrs. Bompas were full of 
the sincerest sympathy. Some were from the men 
of the " Old Brigade," who had stood shoulder to 
shoulder with the Bishop in his great fight against the 
powers of darkness. Beautiful as well as pathetic 
are the words of the Venerable Archdeacon 
McDonald, from Winnipeg : 

" He was a man dear to me, and I thank God for 
the abundant grace that was bestowed upon him, 
enabling him to labour patiently and persistently 
among the natives, for whose sake he became a 
missionary. I cannot forget that it was to replace 
me he first came to the North, when, as it was 
thought, my earthly course was nearly run, and I 
would have to lay down the Banner of the Cross. 
Nobly has he borne the standard ; he has fought the 
fight of faith, he has finished his course, and has 
gone to receive, with the Apostle Paul and all who 
love the appearing of our sweet Saviour Christ, the 

330 



LIGHT AT EVENTIDE 

crown of righteousness which shall be bestowed upon 
them. . . . Thus another landmark has gone. 
Bishop Bompas achieved a great reputation for 
devotedness and saintliness and the most heroic 
courage. Like our great Pattern, he constantly 
went about doing good. He counted not his life 
dear unto him, but exposed it many times in his 
great Master's cause. He has left a splendid 
record and example for all Bishops and clergy. 
You and the Bishop have done a magnificent work 
in that northern region — a work that has blessed 
not only the Indians, but, in an indirect way, the 
entire Church of God." 

Dr. Matheson, Archbishop of Rupert's Land, 
wrote : 

" On my arrival from England yesterday I was 
met with the sad news of the death of my very dear 
friend. I am deeply pained, as he was a lifelong 
friend, and I loved him. He was so loyal and true 
to his friends. How we ought to thank God for 
giving to the Church such a man as Bishop Bompas ! 
Even without his great work, the very example is 
such an inspiration. Humble, unselfish, devoted, 
great in simple-mindedness — these are the words 
which seem to come to one when thinking of our 
departed brother. . . . Accept my heartfelt sym- 
pathy. With frail body, yet dauntless spirit, you 
have shared in all the trials of that great missionary 
hero's life, and now you are alone, and yet not 
alone. Oh no. God does seem to come so near to 
us at these times." 

333 R 2 



LIGHT AT EVENTIDE 

From Alaska, Bishop Rowe sent the following 
message : 

" The passing away of your good husband was to 
him a euthanasia, a translation into the rest and joy 
of Paradise, for which his heroic life and work had 
ever pointed and aimed. To him the translation 
from warfare into peace, from the sight that is dim 
into the perfect light and presence of the King in His 
beauty, is a joy beyond all other joys. . . . The world 
has lost one of the greatest missionary heroes of the 
age, and his beautiful life of service and unselfish 
labours will long continue as an inspiration and 
blessing to many who, through the dear Lord, have 
looked to your husband, and seen in him an 
exemplar of the faith such as, God helping them, 
they fain would be." 

One more letter must be given of the many 
testimonies sent, and this is from the Rev. A. J. 
Doull, of Westmount, Montreal. 

" You have this comfort, that not only has the 
noble Bishop passed to the rest and joy of Paradise, 
but that he has left behind a name and an example 
that cannot and will not be forgotten so long as the 
Canadian Church remains in our land, and her 
history is read by those who come after us. God 
never leaves Himself without witnesses, and it is a 
great encouragement and help to feel that an age so 
prone to worldliness and indifEerence has also been 
the age which has produced Bishop Bompas, a man 
truly Apostolic in self-denying work, fervent zeal, 
and devoted consecrated love. The Church in 

334 



LIGHT AT EVENTIDE 

Canada has a tremendous work to do, and she needs 
the brightest examples that can be put before her 
sons and daughters to inspire them to go in and 
possess the good land. Truly may we bless God 
that such an example has been provided at this 
crisis in her history, the example of the first Bishop 
of Selkirk." 



335 



CHAPTER XIX 

THE STUDENT 

" The best of thoughts which he hath known 
For lack of listeners are not said." 

Jean Ingelow. 

Some there are who assert that missionary work in 
the far North is detrimental to all study, owing to 
the unsettled life and the want of kindred spirits. 
But Bishop Bompas believed just the reverse, and 
contended that in the quietness of the great wilds 
a person, freed from the bustle of the city, could 
pursue his studies undisturbed. 

To the travelling missionary life the Bishop 
added that of an indefatigable student of no mean 
ability. An old manuscript note-book which be- 
longed to him gives food for much thought. It is 
rude and worn, showing most plainly hard usage 
when brought forth by some Indian camp-fire that 
he might write down the new words he had 
acquired during the day. The cover is only a thin 
piece of oil-cloth, and how often it has shed the 
rain or snow from the pages beneath ! As St. Paul 
carried about " the parchments " from place to 

336 



THE STUDENT 

place, so did this faithful apostle of a later day 
carry with him his rude note-book. 

As soon as Mr. Bompas reached Fort Simpson, 
on that Christmas Day, 1865, he began the study 
of the Indian language spoken thereabouts, jotting 
down words here and there, and, according to Mr. 
Kirkby's testimony, by summer he had made such 
progress as to be able to converse quite fluently 
with the natives. 

There were several dialects in the region over 
which he travelled, and to learn these in a short 
time is proof of no ordinary linguistic ability. Yet 
we find that between 1870 and 1880 he put forth 
four Indian primers in as many dialects — the Slavi, 
Beaver, Dog-Kib, and Tukudh — which were printed 
by Gilbert and Rivington, of London, and a portion 
of the Prayer Book (syllabic), in Chipewyan, in 
conjunction with the Rev. W. W. Kirkby, which was 
published by the Society for Promoting Christian 
Knowledge. Then followed a long list of publica- 
tions showing steady work. In 1880 came forth a 
" Manual of Devotion, Hymns, Prayers, Catechism, 
etc.," in Beaver, and in 1882 " Portions of the 
Prayer Book, adapted to the Slavi," prepared in 
co-operation with the Rev. W. W. Kirkby, and pub- 
lished by the same society ; in 1883 " The Gospels 
in Slavi," published by the British and Foreign 
Bible Society, and a vocabulary in manuscript ; in 
1886 and 1890-1891, with Bishop Reeve, "The 
Four Gospels, and Acts to Revelation " (syllabic), 
published by the Bible Society. Besides these, the 

337 



THE STUDENT 

Bishop produced the Epistles and Revelation, Acts 
of the Apostles, a hymnal, the New Testament, and 
Prayer Book, all in Slavi. Though some of these 
have been revised, yet they show the labour per- 
formed by this missionary as he travelled from 
place to place, studying by camp-fires in mid-winter, 
and in canoes on the great northern streams in 
summer, contending with the myriads of insects 
which surrounded him. 

But while working at the Indian languages the 
Bishop was patiently observing everything which 
came under his notice, and collecting a fund of 
information concerning the country in general and 
the customs of the natives. This work was carried 
on quietly and steadily, and when occasion arose the 
treasure was stored up ready for immediate use. 
Whether he intended at first to use his data for 
publication is not known, but the proverb that 
necessity is the mother of invention proved true in 
his case. 

Money was needed for the diocese, and he was 
urged to make an effort to raise funds. To go to 
England for the purpose was most repugnant to him, 
on account of the publicity to which he would be 
exposed, and he mentioned time and time again that 
this was one of the reasons why he did not wish to 
leave his field of labour. Then the thought occurred 
to him that he might " raise money by publishing 
some account of the country." Even this idea 
caused him much doubt, for he said : " It is hardly 
likely that I could write in a style acceptable to a 

338 



THE STUDENT 

fastidious public, after my long isolation, though 
I think to try the experiment, which I hope may be 
a harmless one." 

And " try the experiment " he did, with the 
result that in October, 1888 the Society for 
Promoting Christian Knowledge brought forth his 
" Diocese of Mackenzie River." This book of 
108 pages, containing ten chapters, shows careful 
observation, and is written in a pleasing style, 
though one longs for more information concerning 
the mission -work in the diocese than that contained 
in one chapter. The book treats of the early ex- 
plorers, and the work of the Church of England ; 
the inhabitants, their language, dress, and habits ; 
geography, meteorology, fauna, and flora ; and closes 
with a chapter on resources and prospects. Though 
the book was reviewed in over twenty leading 
English papers and magazines, for the most part 
favourably, the sale was not large. By permission 
of the Society much use has been made of it in this 
Memoir. 

This work was followed in 1892 by " Northern 
Lights on the Bible," published by J. Nisbet and 
Co., London, which will be referred to at length 
in another chapter. 

But the Bishop's steadiest and most thoughtful 
work was the study of the Bible. He maintained 
that " Scripture studies may be the easiest and 
most profitable to pursue in the North, as the Bible 
is oftener close at hand than any other book. It 
is right also that the far North, as well as every 

339 



THE STUDENT 

other land, should contribute its quota towards the 
elucidation of the Sacred Volume." 

Here was a man far from refined society, and 
yet through the pages of Scripture he lived 
and communed with Kings, Princes, Apostles, and 
Martyrs ; and what greater society could he have ? 
Truth was what the Bishop thirsted for, and the 
more he studied, the greater became his desire 
for further knowledge. Greek gave him a thirst for 
the study of Hebrew, and through these he probed 
deep into the sacred mine. But still he was not 
satisfied. He longed for something more, and not 
until he began the study of Syriac did he reach the 
haven of his desire. In this new field he revelled, 
and lost a taste for lighter reading. He wrote 
enthusiastically to Mrs. Bompas in England : 

" I shall bless the day you were born, for two 
things you have done for me. You sent me my 
first pair of spectacles when I was getting blind, 
and so imparted new strength to my bodily eyes ; 
and you sent me the Syriac Testament with Lexicon, 
and so have let the light of heaven into my 
darkening mind. I find the Syriac text leads me 
nearer to God than all the commentaries I have 
ever read." 

The more he studied, the greater were the 
wonders he discovered, and, writing again to Mrs. 
Bompas, he said : " It is now almost 400 years 
since the Nina, with Columbus on board, brought 
to listening Europe the tale of the discovery of a 
new world in the far West, and it may in God's 

340 



THE STUDENT 

providence be reserved for you to tell the tale of 
the discovery of a new world of wonders in God's 
Holy Word, which will, I think, prove the delightful 
study of God's people for a thousand years to come, 
and perhaps for a thousand generations. As you 
sent me the Syriac Testament, which was the seed, 
you ought first to partake of the fruits. ... If 
spared to next winter I may (D.V.) be sending 
home some matter to be printed."* 

" I once told you," he wrote on another occasion, 
" that the name of your natal saint, Matthias, 
means ' Faith,' and so it has been explained in 
Hebrew ; but in Syriac it appears to mean 'Advent,' 
or arrival. This is, doubtless, the better explana- 
tion, of which I was ignorant till I saw the Syriac 
Testament you sent me, and therefore I misled you. 

" I trust that the wonderful things now coming to 
light in His Word may be taken to harbinger our 
Lord's approach and the extension of His kingdom. 
I trust, also, the pleasure I have been having in these 
studies may be taken as harbinger for me of the 
joys of heaven, which I feel must follow them 
speedily, if ever at all." 

There is something grand in the thought of this 
man, away in the great North in some rude log 
building, or by a camp-fire, with hardly the bare 
necessities of life, perfectly indifferent to his sur- 
roundings, rejoicing in the Sacred Volume, and 
discovering so many wonderful things therein. 

* Mrs. Bompas''s name is Selina, shortened by her relatives 
to " Nina,"" which fact gives point to the Bishop's illustration, 

341 



THE STUDENT 

In 1896 James Pott and Company, of New York, 
brought forth " The Symmetry of Scripture," a 
volume of 350 pages. The book contains " Passages 
of Scripture with Notes," and portions of Scripture 
systematically arranged from the Old and New 
Testaments and the Prayer Book. Though most 
of the work is taken up with translations and re- 
arrangement of texts, yet in the first few pages the 
Bishop sets forth his discoveries, which gave him 
such pleasure during the long Northern nights. 

Few realized the extent of the Bishop's Biblical 
labours till after his death, when an old wooden 
box filled with a mass of manuscripts revealed the 
secret. It seemed almost irreverent to disturb the 
collection, and the sight of those old, worn papers 
tempted the imagination to stray far afield. And 
what did the old box contain ? First, a complete 
translation of the New Testament from the Syriac, 
the whole of Genesis, portions of the Psalms, 
Proverbs, and the Apocrypha, besides a second 
translation of all the Epistles and Revelation, and 
much of the Gospels and Acts. 

On the left-hand side of each page is the Syriac 
in English characters, with the translation opposite. 
This latter is rendered in most literal English with- 
out note or comment. The following will serve as 
examples : 

St. Matt. i. 1-4. 

" A book of history of the Sovereign Saviour, 
Son of DarHng, Son of Choice-crowd. 
To Choice-crowd was born Smiling, 
To Smiling was born Heel. 
34fg 



THE STUDENT 

" To Heel were born Confessor 
And his brothers. To Confessor were born 
Outburst and Sunrise from Pahn-tree. 
To Outburst was born Fold, 

" To Fold was born Height, 
To Height was born Bounty, 
To Bounty was born Divining, 
To Divining was born Peaceful.'" 

St. Matt. ii. 1-2. 

" And while the Saviour was born 
In Bread-home of Confessor's land. 
In the days of Hero the King, 
Came Astrologers from the East 

" To Peacesite, and were saying, ' Where 
Is the King of the Confessors, who was born ? 
For we saw His Star in the East, 
And we come to bow to Him." 

Next, the box contained two complete works in 
manuscript, showing great labour, prepared for 
publication. " Scripture Acrostics and Texts of 
the Bible Reversed and Transposed " is a mass of 
material closely written on 287 pages of 8 by 10 
paper, with directions to print " 500 copies in limp 
cloth, thin paper, to be printed and published at a 
total cost not exceeding $250.00." It is divided 
into seven sections dealing with various subjects. 
First there is a comparison between the Syriac and 
Greek of the New Testament, with eight arguments 
in favour of the former. Then follows in alpha- 
betical order lists of ordinary and rare words in 
the new Testament, with detailed explanations and 
copious references, showing most careful research. 

343 



THE STUDENT 

Section 4 treats o£ Bible history, while the re- 
maining three consider very fully impugned texts 
and acrostics of Scripture. 

" Scripture Analysed ; or, Investigations in the 
Original Text of the Holy Bible," to which the 
date 1894 is attached, is a work of 168 pages, 
divided also into seven sections. " The object 
of this publication," so runs the preface, " is to 
establish the fact that the orio-inal text of the New 
Testament is to be found, not in the Greek, but in 
the Syriac tongue, which was actually spoken by 
Christ and His Apostles. . . . 

" This present publication proceeds to establish 
that this original and inspired text of the New 
Testament is found in our present Syriac text, 
commonly called Peschito, or untranslated text." 

The table of contents shows the subjects con- 
sidered in this book : " Scripture Analysed," 
" Parallel Passages in the Gospels alike in Syriac 
and Varied Greek," " Alliterations Initialled," " New 
Testament Words in the Syriac," " Texts Reversed," 
" Old and New Testament Texts Analysed." 

Such independent research on the part of the 
Bishop made him rather a severe critic. He had 
little patience with the popular theological writers 
of the day, saying that "they pulled the Bible 
to pieces too much." The Revised Version of 1885 
received a share of his severe denunciation. He 
had waited with much expectation, mingled with 
anxiety, for the production of this work, and when 
Mrs. Bompas sent him a copy from England he 

344 



THE STUDENT 

was much delighted. But, alas ! his joy was of 
short duration, and sadly he wrote : 

" I do not write more on the Revised Old Testa- 
ment, for I dislike it too much to consider longer 
its dissection, and the most painful part is that I 
feel it must be taken as an index of a defection 
from purity. Many of the prophecies are rendered 
as historical, and some of the most important 
prophecies of Christ are diverted from application 
to Him." 

It is remarkable, considering his isolation, how 
the Bishop was conversant with the great Biblical 
questions of the day, and the arguments of leading 
scholars. He wielded the pen with great facility, 
and at times wrote learned articles to Biblical 
magazines. His essay, written for The Expositor^ 
on his favourite subject, a plea " for a wider study 
of the Scripture in the Syriac tongue," is written 
in a pleasing style, and shows most plainly the skill 
and strength of the master in its execution. 

No matter what subject he handled, the standard 
was always the Divine Word, and every idea had 
to be squared and fitted to that, or else he would 
none of it. Through long years of patient study 
he had " straight got by heart that book to its last 
page," and knew his ground. In 1900 the Bishop 
wrote an answer to a pamphlet on " The Unlaw- 
fulness of War." In this he gives an exhibition of 
his strength and versatility in handling the Word 
of God. We can almost imagine a smile flitting 
across his face as he proceeded, clearly and logically, 

84<5 



THE STUDENT 

to deal with the arguments of his opponent, bringing 
forth from the great armoury things both new and 
old to serve his purpose. 

This, then, was the man who, steeped in Hebrew 
and Syriac, and with natural endowments which 
would have graced a professor's chair, yet was content 
through long years to minister faithfully to his little 
flock of untutored Indians. To them he could impart 
nothing of his grand thoughts, neither did he think 
to do so. His sermons, whether to Indians or white 
people, were full of simplicity and beauty. Love 
formed the warp and woof of each address, a language 
all could easily understand. Few of his sermons 
have been preserved. He always spoke from notes, 
written on a small slip of paper, which, as a rule, 
served to light his fire on Monday morning. Occa- 
sionally he would consider his notes worthy of 
preservation, and just two months before his death 
he forwarded those of his sermon, preached on the 
fifth Sunday in Lent, to the London Society for 
Promoting Christianity among the Jews, with a 
view to their publication. 

The Bishop was fond of giving expression to his 
thoughts in verse, and he produced several poems 
of much beauty. In 1873, while travelling with 
the Indians in the North, he composed 200 lines on 
" The Loucheux Indians." Not only are these 
verses very descriptive and clothed in simple 
language, but a yearning strain pervades the whole 
poem. He had been labouring among these natives, 
walking and camping with them for eighty days. 

346 



THE STUDENT 

He bad learned to love them, and in this manner 
expressed some of the affection he felt. One extract 
must suffice here as typical of the whole : 

" 'Neath skies with stars that never set, 
But round the pole still circle yet ; 
Where streamers of magnetic light 
Enliven winter's lengthening night ; 
Where niggard suns must stint their ray, 
To spend on climates far away ; 
There Christian brethren bend their knees 
In shelter of the forest trees. 
Hearts that with heavenly fervour glow 
Are found amid the Arctic snow ; 
And in the dreadful day of gloom, 
When all the world to judgment come ; ' 

When, worldly sentence all reversed, 
The first are last and last are first ; 
What if these tribes of sallow face, 
Hindermost now of human race, 
Their want and poverty lay by 
For robes of immortality ?" 

Twenty years later the Bishop again made a 
passionate appeal for these Loucheux Indians in a 
poem entitled " A Plea for the Wild Sheep of the 
Rocky Mountains." He was Bishop of the Diocese 
of Selkirk at the time, and longing for workers to 
man the field. He alludes to poor Sim's death, and 
the heroic efforts of Archdeacon McDonald, and 
draws a vivid picture of his own position : 

" A Bishop and his flock, 
Two thousand zealous converts. 
Walled in with mounts of rock. 
No churches and no clergy. 
Was ever such a sight ? 
But one chief pastor merely. 
In solitary plight.*" 

347 s 



THE STUDENT 

This poem of twenty-four verses of eight lines 
each was published in the Church Missionary 
Gleaner of November, 1893. 

Other poems were put forth by the Bishop from 
time to time. " A God of Stone " is a modern 
development of Bishop Heber's well-known hymn 
" From Greenland's icy mountains," and draws a sad 
contrast between the simple faith of the Christian 
converts in heathen lands and the agnostic 
tendencies which prevail so widely in Christian 
England. i 

" One of great length, entitled ' The Critic,' 
deals quaintly, yet forcibly, with the modern 
criticism of the Bible ; another, upon Lot's wife, 
contains a solemn warning against tampering with 
' the pleasures of sin,' and the remainder consist 
chiefly of parables and leading events recorded in 
the Gospels, rendered in a versified form."* 

With this brief sketch we must turn from these 
" monuments of pathetic labour, tasks patiently 
fulfilled through slow hours," when, as the Bishop 
tells us, " it seemed almost as though I saw an 
angel's hand tracing for me Hebrew sentences, as on 
the wall of Belshazzar's house." The joy of the 
scholar was great as he sat in his rude log building 
soberly among his papers, unheeding the loneliness 
around him. Some day a worthy and loving hand 
may arrange that mass of material, and bring it 
forth for the benefit of mankind. In the meantime 
the best that those old papers can do for us " is to 

* Church Missionary Intelligencer, June, 1894. 
348 



THE STUDENT 



bid us cast a wistful and loving thought into the 
past, a little gift of love for the old labourer who 
wrote so diligently in the forgotten hours, till the 
weary, failing hand laid down the familiar pen, and 
soon lay silent in the dust." 



349 s 2 



CHAPTER XX 

" NORTHERN LIGHTS ON THE BIBLE " 

" Blessed is the man whose strength is in Thee ; in whose 
heart are Thy ways. 
Who going through the vale of misery use it for a well, 
and the pools are filled with water." 

Ps. Ixxxiv. 5, 6. 

In the far northland there are two books the 
missionary always has with him : one, the great 
volume of Revelation, the other, the book of 
Nature. No matter where he goes, over what 
lonely trails he winds his devious way, his com- 
panions may be the squalid savage, his dwelling- 
place the rude lodge, snow-house, or log hut, his 
library is ever with him. 

These two books Bishop Bompas studied in no 
ordinary degree, and when we consider the delight 
he found in the work, we begin to understand why 
the northland was so dear to him. 

For years he had studied the Bible in English, 
Greek, Hebrew, and Syriac. In early days he 
loved the sacred volume, and ever found pleasure in 
discovering new meanings. As he wandered over 
the vast regions of the North, he realized how much 

350 



" NORTHERN LIGHTS ON THE BIBLE " 

the country might produce in the way of illustra- 
ting many passages of Holy Scripture. If he could 
not tell his discoveries by word of mouth, he could 
write them down for the benefit of those who would 
come after. 

For twenty-five years, as he moved about, he 
gained new light and wonderful lessons. These he 
embodied in a most fascinating little book, which he 
aptly named " Northern Lights on the Bible." 
This book, of 207 pages, is an interesting commen- 
tary on fifty passages of Scripture, retouched by 
illustrations from the far North. Though a record 
of the Bishop's experiences, yet he never once 
mentions himself in the book, but remains ever 
in the background with that humility so character- 
istic of the man. If he wishes to tell of some event 
in which he took part, it is always in the third 
person. 

Taking such subjects as "rivers," "gold," 
" storms," " skins," and " pine-trees," and beginning 
with an appropriate verse from the Bible, he 
weaves beautiful patterns from his rich storehouse 
of knowledge. We walk among richly-scented pines 
and cedars, but instead of a lonely forest, pictures 
of " an ark of gopher wood," and King Solomon's 
stately temple, adorned with the cedars of Lebanon, 
rise before the mind. Then, while lost in admira- 
tion, we are suddenly aroused, reminded that the 
trees teach lessons of strength, security, growth, 
and freshness for those who wait upon the Lord. 

The following extracts will serve to show the 

351 



"NORTHERN LIGHTS ON THE BIBLE" 

Bishop's method of handling his subjects in this 
interesting book : 

"MOCK SUNS. 

" * Siin, stand thou still upon Gibeon.' 

Josh. x. xii. 

" Without the slightest wish to invalidate the 
miracle here recorded, or to diminish its stupendous 
character, it may not be uninteresting to suggest 
some modes in which it may have pleased the 
Almighty to accomplish the effect without a suspen- 
sion of the laws of Nature. 

" It may be rightly held to enhance the power 
and glory of Almighty God, if it can be shown that 
He is able to compass the most surprising results 
without travelling outside of the ordinary routine 
of His work. 

" It appears most unreasonable to attempt a 
denial that the Author of what are called Nature's 
laws can dispense with them on occasion, but it may 
be more allowable to suppose that He may have 
seldom occasion to do so, in order to effect His 
every volition. 

*' To use common and unworthy illustrations, the 
owner of a watch can move its hands at will without 
disturbing its works ; the master of a power-loom 
may introduce a new pattern without arresting the 
machinery ; or the driver of an engine may reverse 
its action on an incline without retarding the train. 

" In Arctic regions it is well known that the cold 

352 



"NORTHERN LIGHTS ON THE BIBLE " 

and mists of the air produce singular appearances of 
displacement of the sun and moon by reflection or 
refraction in the air, which are not easily explained. 

" By refraction the Arctic sun may remain visible 
above the horizon for some time after that calculated 
for its setting ; and by a parhelion, or mock sun, it 
may be seen in mid-heaven when near its setting. 

" Now, it would appear from the account in Joshua 
that through some deflection of the polar current of 
the upper atmosphere, an Arctic temperature was 
produced for the time in the region of the clouds, 
and not far above the surface of the earth. This is 
implied in the congelation of the atmospheric vapours 
so suddenly into huge hailstones before the moisture 
had time to be shaped into drops. 

" This cold, adjacent to the almost tropical heat of 
a Syrian sun, must produce such evaporation and 
mists as would be highly conducive to the formation 
of a parhelion, and all the phenomena of a highly 
refracting atmosphere, if not to an actual reflection, 
as seen in the mirage. 

" It does not seem useless to suggest that any who 
find their faith stumbled by Joshua's surprising 
miracle, from being unable to imagine the means by 
which it was wrought without subversion of astro- 
nomical science, may find a stumbling-block removed 
from their way by being reminded how often without 
miracle an Arctic sun is apparently displaced. 

" Hailstones of dangerous size, as described by 
Joshua, are not unusual in the Western Saskatche- 
wan. In Arctic regions hail is infrequent, as the 

353 



"NORTHERN LIGHTS ON THE BIBLE" 

cold of the upper air forms the vapours into snow 
before they condense into water. 

"It is singular that in Arctic latitudes the winter 
temperature on a mountain height is milder than on 
a lower level. This, again, may be owing to upper 
equatorial currents of air. 

" Mild weather is associated in Arctic climes, as 
elsewhere, with a cloudy sky, and intense frost with 
a clear atmosphere, but it is not so certain how they 
are connected. 

" It seems most probable that the casual deflection 
downward of a warm current in the upper air, both 
deposits its moisture in the form of cloud, and raises 
the temperature on the earth's surface. A clear sky, 
on the other hand, shows that the air is dry and 
deficient in moisture, the suction of which by 
evaporation intensifies the cold. 

" The old explanation of the nightly radiation to 
a clear sky of the heat acquired by the earth the 
previous day appears quite inapplicable to polar 
regions, where, in the sun's absence, there is no daily 
accession of heat to be radiated, and the covering of 
snow and ice seems impervious to radiation from 
below. 

" Somewhat similar considerations may apply to 
the surprising miracle recorded in 2 Kings xx. and 
Isa. xxxviii. 8, as have been ventured on in regard 
to that of Joshua x. In the case of Hezekiah's 
miracle, we have also a hint of an unusual rarefac- 
tion of the air. For the miracle of the sun-dial 
appears to have immediately preceded the deadly 

354 



"NORTHERN LIGHTS ON THE BIBLE " 

simoom by which 185,000 of the Assyrian army were 
slain in one night. It may be thought that an 
apparent elevation of the sun, either by refraction or 
reflection, produced, in obedience to the fiat of the 
Almighty, the stated effect on the sun-dial ; and the 
agent employed may have been a mist or fog in con- 
nexion with that peculiar state of the atmosphere 
which presages a coming storm. In Hezekiah's time 
it would seem to have been the rising, and in 
Joshua's case the setting, sun, that was apparently 
retarded for a time, though it is not definitely stated 
in either case that the day was in the end actually 
lengthened. 

« NAMES. 

« * Oreb and Zeeb.' 

JuDG. viii. 3. 

" These two marauding chiefs of the Midianites 
come before us in the history of the Judge Gideon. 
They were truly dwellers in the wilds, and came up 
with their numerous bands to prey upon the harvests 
and stores of the defenceless Israelite. 

" Such forays have been often made in modern 
times by wild tribes of North-American Indians, but 
the natives of the extreme North are at present 
inofiiensive. 

" It may be worth while to notice how well the 
names of the Midian chiefs would befit a modern 
Indian brave. Translated, they are the Raven and 
the Wolf The reference is to the feasts provided 
for birds and beasts of prey by these plundering 

355 



"NORTHERN LIGHTS ON THE BIBLE " 

chieftains, who almost exhibited the same spirit as 
those greedy animals. Many a modern Indian has 
a similar appellation. The Crow or the Fox, and 
other such names, borrowed from animals, are fre- 
quent among present Indian chiefs. 

" Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings or leaders of 
Midian, had similarly significant names. These 
may be rendered ' Slaughter ' and * AV andering 
Shade.' So a recent Indian chief in the Saskatche- 
wan plain was called ' Wandering Spirit,' an idea 
very similar to that of Zalmunna, both implying the 
consignment to the shades of death of the victims of 
their fury. 

" It may be noted also that it is now generally the 
custom to translate into English the native Indian 
names, both for the preservation of their signifi- 
cance and for avoiding the uncouth syllables of a 
barbarous tongue. 

" It might be well if the Hebrew names, which 
are all significant and appropriate to the occasion 
of their occurrence, were also translated for a like 
reason. 

" Places in the North-West have also generally 
their Indian names translated into English when 
spoken of by Europeans, such as Flint River, Axe 
Lake, or Stony Mountain. Scripture names are 
similar, only buried for us in unattractive Hebrew, 
as, for example, the rivers of Paradise might be 
called Spreading, Coiling, Gladness, and Fertile. . . . 

" Even an inanimate object, when seen for the 
first time by an Indian, will be named readily, 

356 



" NORTHERN LIGHTS ON THE BIBLE " 

according to its use. So a table is a thing to eat 
on, a chair a thing to sit on, and so forth. These 
became the permanent designations of those objects 
in the Indian tongue, . . . 

" The names of the Hebrews appear to have been 
mostly given to them at birth, and to have been 
bestowed by the mother in commemoration of joy 
and gratitude at the birth of offspring. The names 
of the kings above mentioned may have been pos- 
sibly assumed in after life. 

" The Indian children are also generally named 
by the mother, and called from some characteristic 
of the infant, or from some circumstance attending 
the birth. They have not been taught till recently 
the feeling of gratitude to God on such an occasion, 
and the Christian converts, of course, give their 
children usual Christian names. 

" Among the Hebrews many names were patrony- 
mics, that is, the son is called by his father's name, 
as Bartimseus, the son of Timseus (Mark x. 46). In 
the far West, somewhat strangely, the habit is just 
the contrary, and as soon as a son is born both 
father and mother drop their previous names, and 
are thenceforth known by the name of the son, as 
William's father or John's mother. 

" An Indian has great shyness in mentioning his 
name, and if he wishes you to know it he will ask 
his friend to tell you. If you wish to know an 
Indian's name, it is needful to ask this, not of 
himself, but of his companion, when you will obtain 
a ready answer. 

357 



"NORTHERN LIGHTS ON THE BIBLE' 

" Modern critics are apt to indulge in some display 
of learning, by deciphering from the hierogylphics 
of some ancient Egyptian papyrus a name which 
is supposed, by its similarity, to illustrate some 
Scripture appellation, or even to be its source or 
derivation. 

" A readier match for the Hebrew names might be 
found among the present Indians of the North- 
West. The father of King Saul was named Fowler 
or Snarer (1 Sam. ix. 1). A modern Esquimaux 
chief was named Grouse- snare. An Indian chiefs 
name. Large-foot, may be compared with the 
patriarch Israel's first name, Heel. More exact 
parallels might be found, for there is hardly a 
common object or a living animal, but what has 
furnished a name to a Hebrew of the Old World, 
or to an Indian of the New. 

" AURORA. 

" ' Nor the moon by night.' 

Ps. cxxi. 6. 

" In expounding this text, commentators have been 
at some pains to discover tradition and examples of 
the injurious effect of the moon's rays on a sleeper 
exposed to their glare. The words lunatic, mooned, 
moonstruck, betray the same idea. On the other 
hand all travellers in the North are accustomed 
constantly to sleep exposed to the moonbeams 
without being conscious of any injurious effects from 
them. It may be suspected that night-dew and 

358 



"NORTHERN LIGHTS ON THE BIBLE" 

malarious vapours are more noxious than moon- 
shine. 

" The promise of the text may also be held to 
have a fulfilment to the Arctic traveller in that 
Aurora, or Northern Lights, which, when there is no 
moon, frequently tempers for him the midnight 
darkness. , . . 

" The shape and apparent height of the Aurora 
varies much. It does not seem to appear without 
some kind of a cloud, mist, or vapour on which to 
exhibit itself. It seems often, therefore, to follow 
vaguely the course of some river or frozen lake, or 
the direction to which the wind may drive the 
exhalations rising from such a source. After a 
brilliant display of the Aurora, as morning dawns, 
a slight cloud will mostly be seen remaining in the 
position from which the chief coruscations appeared 
to emanate. 

" At times the Aurora descends till it is very 
close overhead, just as clouds sometimes do. The 
movements of its gleams are then very rapid, 
and resemble the foldings of a great fiery pennon 
waving in a strong breeze. It is, however, hard to 
compare the Aurora's display to anything earthly, 
unless indeed to the ' brush ' from an electrical 
machine. 

" It has been much questioned whether the Aurora 
is audible. Those who think they have heard it, 
describe the sound as being like the rustling of silk 
drapery. This calls to mind the expression of St. 
Peter, that when the heavens, being on fire, shall 

359 



"NORTHERN LIGHTS ON THE BIBLE" 

dissolve, they shall pass away with a rustling noise 
(2 Pet. iii. 10). 

" In severe frost the listening ear will always detect 
some sound caused by congealing moisture, and even 
the human breath makes a sort of sawing sound in 
condensing and freezing from the lips. These sounds 
may have been attributed by some to the Aurora. 

" Certainly a vivid display of the Aurora over the 
whole sky helps us to picture the day when the 
heavens shall be on fire, as the blazing of an 
extensive forest feebly portrays the day when the 
earth also, and the works that are therein, shall be 
burned up. 

" Most of the Arctic winter travelling is made at 
night time, because the day is so scanty, and the 
Aurora is then a pleasant and salutary guide and 
companion. It cannot fail to remind a devout 
Christian of Israel's pillar of fire of old, which may 
have resembled the Aurora in its flash. 

" When the lig^ht of the Aurora breaks out in the 
night time with a cloudy sky, it is difficult to 
distinguish the light from day-break, and an unwary 
traveller may thus be deceived in the hour. We 
may then say with David, ' The Lord my God will 
enlighten my darkness ' (Ps. xviii. 28). 

" It may be remarked that in the snowy regions 
of the North, the winter nights, even without the 
Aurora, are by no means of pitchy darkness. The 
reflection from the white carpet of snow is enough 
to make visible trees, rocks, etc., for some short 
distance, and the traveller needs not to grope his 

360 



-NORTHERN LIGHTS ON THE BIBLE " 

way in the forest, though care is requisite that his 
face be not cut at night with a random branch. 

" The twiHght also is so long, that even when the 
sun does not rise at all, a slight streak of day dawn 
will be visible in the south-east, in a clear sky, soon 
after 7 a.m., and the last streak will not expire till 
nearly 5 p.m. 

" The constant displays of the Aurora are associ- 
ated in the North with a highly electrical state of 
the air, so that clothes, blankets, and furs will 
crackle and sparkle at night when removed or 
disturbed, and the human hair scintillates in the 
dark. 

" The force of the earth's magnetism is also strong, 
but the use of a mariner's compass needs care, as 
within the Arctic circle the compass may point as 
much east as north, until in approaching the 
magnetic pole the attraction is so nearly perpen- 
dicular as to render the compass useless as a guide 
for direction. 

« BURIAL. 

" ' Bury thy dead.' 

Gen. xxiii. 6. 

" The anxiety, which Scripture shows to have 
existed from the earliest times, for the suitable 
interment of deceased relations is a natural one, 
especially in places where unclean animals prowling 
for prey are likely to disturb the remains. 

"In the great North- West, where the ground 

361 



"NORTHERN LIGHTS ON THE BIBLE" 

throughout the long winter is frozen to a consider- 
able depth, the interment of the dead is no easy- 
matter. The grave has to be chopped, rather than 
dug, either with the axe or pick, if the latter tool is 
at hand, which is seldom the case. The work is 
laborious, and sometimes beyond the power of the 
relatives of the deceased Indian. 

" Probably for this reason the original custom of 
many tribes of Indians, before the introduction of 
Christianity among them, was to suspend their 
dead on high stages elevated on poles from the 
ground, and thus beyond the reach of predatory 
animals. By this means the need of hewing the 
frozen ground was avoided. 

" It was customary also to place with the body of 
the deceased the articles he required for daily use in 
life, his bow and arrows, or in later times his gun 
and hatchet, his pipe and fire-bag. These customs 
have waned before the light of the Gospel, but it is 
still difficult to wean the Indian from all supersti- 
tion regarding the dead, or to convince him that the 
corpse does not retain some life or consciousness, 
that it is no longer the dwelling, but only the 
forsaken shell of a spirit, that has winged its flight 
elsewhere, 

" The wailings of an Indian over his lost relative, 
and especially of a mother over her lost children, are 
piercing and heartrending ; but it is pleasant to see 
the contrast in this respect between those who are 
still ignorant of the Gospel, and such as have 
received it. The Christian converts have now 

362 



"NORTHERN LIGHTS ON THE BIBLE" 

learned to accept their bereavements as from God's 
hand in silence and submission, and their mute 
grief is more impressive than the loud lamentation 
of the heathen. 

" If a conversation is begun with an elderly- 
Indian female, she will generally turn the subject 
to the number of children she has lost, and these 
she will count on her fingers. It often takes the 
whole ten to number her little ones deceased. The 
severe climate and constant removals, with uncertain 
food, are very fatal to infant and child life in the 
North, and the only comfort is to trust that such 
little ones are gathered by our gracious Saviour to 
His arms, before they have become the prey of vice 
and sin, either among heathen, or, what is perhaps 
worse, among only nominal Christians. 

" In some instances the Indian mothers literally 
cry their eyes out ; and if you ask a blind woman 
how she lost her vision, she may answer that it was 
by weeping too hard for her lost relatives, and dim- 
ness of sight is attributed to the same cause. 

" Some Indians cling tenaciously to a love of life, 
others exhibit great indifference about it. If a sick 
Indian despair of recovery, he may die of mere hope- 
lessness. A medicine man may also take the life of 
an Indian by telling him that he is going to die. 
The Indian may go home and sicken, and expire 
from the very expectation of it. 

" Sometimes an Indian will carry about with him 
the corpse of a deceased child half the winter, wait- 
ing for the thawing of the ground in spring to bury it 

363 T 



"NORTHERN LIGHTS ON THE BIBLE" 

suitably. It is, however, more common to notice 
unseemly haste in disposing of the remains of one 
deceased. In Scripture we have instances of hasty 
interment, as in Acts v. 6-10, where the burial 
followed immediately upon the death. With the 
Indian, what is termed in that chapter the winding 
up of the dead, or the wrapping round of the body, 
sometimes takes place before the breath has left it. 
The relatives may have a superstitious fear of 
touching a corpse after death. There is no fear of 
resuscitation in a climate where the frame is stiffly 
frozen as soon as removed from the camp fire. 

" On the Pacific coast it is the custom for the 
chiefs to be buried each at the door of his house, and 
they are careful not to disturb the remains. An 
Indian in the North is often buried under the place 
occupied by his camp fire, because the ground there 
has been softened by the heat. The Indians will 
remove at once from a place where one of their camp 
has died, and will avoid the place in future. 

" As the natives have such a superstitious dread 
of a place of burial, it does not seem well to follow 
in that country the European custom of placing the 
graves round the church. 

" A body interred in the constantly frozen ground 
of the extreme North might remain unchanged till 
the world's end, so complete is the action of frost in 
arresting the decay of substances congealed by it. 
It is possibly this idea that makes the Indian more 
superstitious about the place of his dead." 



364 



CHAPTER XXI 

RESULTS OF MISSIONS IN THE NORTH-WEST 

" God spake, and gave us the Word to keep ; 
Bade never fold the hands nor sleep 
'Mid a faithless world ; at watch and ward 
Till Christ at the end relieve our guard." 

Robert Browning. 

We have thus followed Bishop Bompas in his long 
and noble course of over forty years in the great 
northland, and the question naturally arises as to 
the result of the work in which he took so great a 
part. 

In estimating the eifect of missions among the 
Indians there are certain things which should be 
carefully considered. A rude savage race is not 
raised to a high state of civilization in a day or a 
generation. It took ages to civilize the ancient 
Grecians and Bomans. The German and English- 
speaking peoples were once barbarians, and it took 
a long time to bring them to their present condition, 
and still there is much room for improvement. The 
Indians in the Yukon Territory and in Alaska have 
only come in contact with civilizing influences at a 
comparatively recent date. And what are a few 

365 T 2 



MISSIONS IN THE NORTH-WEST 

years in the progress of a race ? The rooting out of 
old customs, beliefs, the sowing of the seed, and 
the bringing the seed to perfection are all the work 
of time. 

" In Europe," says Bishop Bompas, " it may 
appear at first sight that the Western races, such as 
the English, have risen from savagedom to civiliza- 
tion and intellectual attainment ; but when the 
matter is investigated, it is found that each stage 
of improvement has been caused by a sort of inocu- 
lation with a civilization already existing further to 
the East. Thus in England the advent of the 
Bomans, Saxons, and Normans were each stages 
of advancement to the ancient Britons, while the 
dispersion to the westward of learned Greeks by 
the Turks was a cause of advancement of learning 
at the time of the Reformation. All these causes 
of improvement were mingled with the renovating 
influence of Christianity." 

To appreciate the work that has been done among 
the Indians it is well to consider their lives and 
mode of living before the advent of Christianity 
into their midst. 

" A residence among a wild and untutored race 
yields the strong impression, that one lives there 
among the ruins of a bygone civilization, rather 
than among men in their pristine and original con- 
dition. A savage race appears in a state of decay 
and degeneration, nor do we see any evidence of a 
tendency in untutored races to rise above them- 
selves." 

366 



MISSIONS IN THE NORTH-WEST 

Though the natives have a little " knowledge of 
a good and evil spirit, and a confused idea of a 
retribution beyond the grave," yet how great is their 
darkness ! Completely under the spell of the medi- 
cine-men or conjurers, they are in a sad state. The 
sick are neglected, and often murdered, as well as 
the helpless and aged. At times these beg to be 
put to death as a release from their sufferings and 
miseries through neglect. Murder is nothing thought 
of, and when formerly a young man appeared in spring 
with his face streaked with vermilion, it was a sign 
that he had had the glory of killing a human being 
in winter. 

When the Eev. W. W. Kirkby visited Fort 
Yukon in 1862, and carried the Gospel message to 
the Indians there, many were the tales he heard of 
the darkness of heathenism. Men stood up and told 
of the number of murders they had committed, and 
" no fewer than thirteen women confessed to having 
slain their infant girls ; some in the most cruel and 
heartless manner." 

But with the arrival of Christianity a great change 
took place. " The Indians," says Bishop Bompas, 
" now speak of the times before the Gospel as the 
days of darkness. These will now seek to tend and 
nourish in distress those of an alien tribe, whom 
before they would only seek to murder as their 
hereditary foes. Kindness and affection and other 
fruits of righteousness spring up in the path of the 
Gospel. Even the Esquimaux promise to leave off 
their murders, and acknowledge the evil of these, 

367 



MISSIONS IN THE NORTH-WEST 

after hearing the Gospel message. Among the 
Indian converts bloodshed or violence is almost 
unknown. The knowledge of the Gospel inspires 
them with a thirst for instruction, and among the 
Tukudh tribes adults and children hasten greedily 
to school. 

" The conjurers, when converted, often refuse to 
perform their old tricks even as an exhibition, con- 
fessing that while unconverted they were slaves to 
the devil, and professing that, since delivered from 
Satan's power, they have forgotten the way, and are 
quite unable to practise the deception, in which they 
formerly delighted. A female Tsimshean conjurer 
will exhibit the painted green wood, which by sleight 
of hand she had substituted for the green stone that 
she pretended to make float on the water. A 
Tukudh conjurer will relate how, at the arrival of 
the first missionary among his tribe, he was in 
immediate danger of death, through accusation of 
having murdered by his spells, but, on the reception 
of the Gospel, all the dark deeds of the medicine- 
man were blown to the winds and heard no 
more." 

This is the evidence of missionaries ; what do 
others say ? 

We have seen the low condition of the Tukudh 
Indians at the time of Mr. Kirkby's arrival among 
them ; now let us bring forward the testimony of 
men who are not missionaries concerning their 
progress. 

The first are the words of Mr. William Ogilvie, 

368 




o « 
O O 



U 



MISSIONS IN THE NORTH-WEST 

who was Dominion Land Surveyor in 1887, and 
later became Commissioner of the Yukon Territory. 
In his official report in 1887 he spoke of the Indians 
at Rampart House, and other places where Bishop 
Bompas, Archdeacon McDonald, and others laboured 
for years. These are his words : 

" It is pleasant to testify that they have profited 
by this instruction. They hold every Sunday a 
service among themselves, reading from their books 
the prayers and lessons for the day, and singing in 
their own language to some old tune a simple hymn. 
They never go on a journey of any length without 
these books, and always read a portion before they 
go to sleep. I do not pretend that these men are 
faultless, or that they do not need watching, but I 
do believe that most of them are sincere in their 
profession and strive to do what they have been 
taught." 

That was in 1887, and now let us see how they 
stand to-day. In August, 1907, Mr. David Cadzow, 
the fur-trader at Rampart House, on the Porcupine 
River, thus spoke of these same Indians to a news- 
paper reporter : 

" The Loucheux live entirely by hunting, being 
good hunters and trappers, but will not work on 
Sundays. It appears that they are mostly baptized, 
having been for years under the influence of the 
English Church Missionary Society at the Mission 
Station on the Mackenzie River. In every way they 
live up to the teaching of the missionaries, and are 
a law-abiding, peaceful race of men." 

371 



MISSIONS IN THE NORTH-WEST 

The same paper (the Dawson News) which con- 
tained this account, a year or two ago described a 
visit of these Indians to the city. 

" The Peel River Indians, who have been visiting 
Dawson the last three days, selling meats which they 
brought from the Rocky Mountains, left to-day on a 
return trip to their hunting-grounds. . . . The 
party has had a great time in Dawson this trip. All 
the dainties of cheechaco foods have been indulged 
in lavishly, but to the credit of the visitors it must 
be said they have eschewed the red man's fire-water 
and his befuddling hootch. 

*' No Indians on the continent, perhaps, are better 
behaved, and less brought under the evils of the 
white man and his vices, than the Peels. Coming 
hundreds of miles from Dawson, they plunge out of 
the wilderness into the city, spend a few days selling 
their meats and trading, and then, without loitering 
or lying idly about the town, after the traditional 
habits of Indians, they go immediately back to their 
hunting-grounds. 

" These Indians all belong to the Church of 
England. They were converted many years ago by 
the missionaries who pioneered the way into the 
Mackenzie and Yukon Valleys long before the gold- 
strike in the Klondyke. Joseph and Amos are 
native preachers in the tribe, and the Indians are 
devout." 

Of course these Tukudh Indians are the flower of 
missionary enterprise. Too often, it must be sadly 
acknowledged, have the natives succumbed to the 

372 




m ;C 



MISSIONS IN THE NORTH-WEST 

evil influences of a degenerate class of white men, 
the scum of civilization, who exert every effort to 
ruin the Indian, soul and body. Time and time 
again did Bishop Bompas mourn over the ravages 
made among his little flock by the temptations to 
which they were exposed. 

" When the Gospel is presented to their accept- 
ance," he says, "it is as though they were invited 
to eat of the tree of life. . . . But, alas ! as civilized 
races intermix with these barbarous and rude, there 
are oflered also large tastes of the tree of knowledge 
of good and evil, and these are greedily devoured, 
and perhaps greatly preferred. 

"It is pitiful to see the comparative simplicity of 
the savage imbibe the allurements to vicious pleasure, 
which he learns from more civilized races, without 
possessing that self-restraint which enables those 
of a higher intellectual grade to moderate their 
indulgence even in vice. This applies especially 
to the introduction of strong drink among rude 
races by those more civilized ; but also to other 
irregularities." 

A very marked characteristic of Bishop Bompas's 
work among the Indians was his wonderful faith, 
combined with almost complete unselfishness. He 
had no doubt about the final outcome, and was 
willing to plant the seed, and tend it carefully, and 
leave the increase to God. While others became 
discouraged at the apparent ingratitude of the 
natives, and at times left the work, he never seemed 
to look for gratitude or thanks. He found pleasure 

375 



MISSIONS m THE NORTH-WEST 

in doing the Master's service, and deemed that 
sufficient. 

To him there was much comfort in the promises of 
old, and he apphed them to his own field of work. 
Among his favourite texts in this connexion were the 
following : 



" The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for 
them; and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose" 
(IsA. xxxii. 16). 

"Judgment shall dwell in the wilderness" (Isa. xxxii. 16). 

" They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before 
Him " (Ps. Ixxii. 9). 

"The wilderness shall be a fruitful field" (Isa. xxxii. 15). 

" He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert 
like the garden of the Lord ; joy and gladness shall be found 
therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody" (Isa. li. 3). 

These and other passages show God's purposes of 
mercy to bless in spiritual things those who have 
niggard supplies of temporal blessings. Christian 
missions have prospered in the wilds. In the very 
sparse population of the far North-West, more pro- 
vision is made in God's providence for the hearing of 
the Gospel than might seem to be the share of these 
countries, if compared by population only with other 
lands. 

These memoirs are now brought to a close. We 
have traced the life of Bishop Bompas through 
many vicissitudes. With him will always be asso- 
ciated thoughts of mighty rivers and great inland 
lakes, snow-capped mountains and sweeping plains ; 
thoughts of heroism and devotion to duty ; but, above 

376 



MISSIONS IN THE NORTH-WEST 

all, thoughts of gratitude for countless unknown 
natives of the North on river, mountain, and plain, 
who have been lifted out of darkness and brought 
close to the Great Shepherd's side through the light 
of the Gospel carried by a faithful herald of salva- 
tion — this noble Apostle of the North. 



377 



INDEX 



A 

" Alarm Bird," the, 45 

Alexandra Falls on the Hay River, 134 

Alford, Mr. Bompas's fourth curacy, 30 

Anderson, Bishop, the influence of his sermon on W. C. Bompas, 19 

Athabasca, Mr. Bompas consecrated first Bishop of Athabasca, 

151 ; vast extent of the diocese, l67 ; mission, 182 
" Aurora," 358 

B 

Beaver Indians, pitiable condition of the, 66 

Bennett, Lake, character of, 313 

" Bloody Falls," the scene of a massacre, 45 

Bompas, Miss, 157 

Bompas, Mrs., leaves for England, 243 ; returns to Yukon, 260 

Bompas, Sergeant, 20 

Bompas, William Carpenter : birth, 20 ; family, 21 ; brothers, 
21, 22; characteristics of early youth, 22; religious nature 
and training, 23 ; education, 24 ; articled to solicitors, 24 ; 
ill-health, 24 ; confirmed, 25 ; ordained, 25 ; first curacy at 
Sutton, 25 ; his good work, 26 ; death of his mother, 29 ; 
curacy of New Radford, 29 ; curacy at Holy Trinity, South 
Lincolnshire, 30 ; curacy at Alford, 30 ; offers his services 
to the Church Missionary Society, 30 ; ordained priest by 
Bishop Machray, 30 ; ardour for his new work, 32 ; lands at 
New York, 33 ; visits Captain Palmer, 33 ; assisted by Dr. 
Schultz, 34 ; Indians, 35 ; reaches Red River, 35 ; journey 

379 



INDEX 

north by boat, 36 ; a difficulty bravely overcome, 36 ; Fort 
Chipewyan, 36 ; a severe land journey, 38 ; Fort Resolution, 
38 ; crosses Great Slave Lake, 38 ; arrival at Fort Simpson, 
39; Rev. W. W. Kirkby, 39; his stay, 40; goes to Fort 
Norman, 57 ; return to Fort Simpson, 58 ; back to Fort 
Norman, 6l ; among the Great Bear Lake Indians, 62 ; at 
Fort Rae, 63 ; at Fort Resolution, 64 ; at Fort Chipewyan, 
65 ; at Fort Vermilion, 77 ; at Fort Simpson, 80 ; at Fort 
McPherson, 108; visits the Eskimos, 109; has snow-blind 
ness, 109 ; plot to murder him, 123 ; saved by the chief, 123 ; 
reaches Peel's River Fort with the tribe, 124 ; sets out for the 
Peace River Valley, 126; travelling by boats, 127; reaches 
Fort Vermilion, 1 30 ; visits Fort Chipewyan and Fond du Lac, 
130 ; mining on the Peace River, 130 ; reaches Rocky Moun- 
tain portage, 130; while at Rocky Mountain portage he 
acts as public vaccinator, 131 ; reaches Fort St. John, 132; 
death of Mrs. Donald Ross, 132 ; receives instructions to proceed 
to Yukon district, 133 ; follows Hay River to Great Slave Lake, 
133 ; stay at Fort McPherson, 138 ; work among the Loucheux 
Indians, 138; on the Yukon Rivei-, 140; summoned home for 
consecration, 144; reaches Red River Settlement, and is enter- 
tained by Bishop Machray, 148; an-ives at Montreal, and era- 
barks on the Scandinavian, 1 50 ; arrival in Liverpool, 1 50 ; con- 
secrated by Archbishop Tait, 151 ; marries Miss C. S, Cox, 153 ; 
return to the field of labour, 156 ; arrival at New York, 158 ; 
reaches Winnipeg, 158; an ordination in the cathedral at 
Manitoba, 159 ; tedious journey by boat to Fort Simpson, l60; 
the Bishop sprains his back, l62 ; arrival at Fort Simpson, 
162 ; an Indian school started, 168 ; the first confirmation and 
ordination, I68 ; visits Fort Rae, 170; Christmas at Fort 
Simpson, 171 ; visits Foi-t Norman, 173; skill as a doctor, 
174 ; old Martha, 174 ; search for Jeannie de Nord, 175 ; first 
Synod, 179; his charge, 182; illness of Mrs. Bompas, 188; 
arduous journey to Metlakahtla, 196 ; Mr. Duncan's objection 
to confirming native Christians, I96 ; return to Fort Simpson, 
201 ; famine, 201 ; mission farms commenced, 203 ; visits 
the Tukudh Missions, 204 ; the Eskimo Mission, 208 ; visits 

380 



INDEX 

missions on the Liartl River, 209 ; a terrible journey to 
Fort Norman, 209 ; visits Forts Chipewyan, Vermilion, Dunve- 
gan, 217 ; visit to Tukudh Mission, 218 ; the work of transla- 
tion, 223 ; Diocese of Mackenzie River, 226" ; death of Mr. 
Sim, 233; North- West Rebellion, 234; first Synod of Mackenzie 
River Diocese, 238 ; famine, 242 ; Mrs, Bompas leaves for 
England, 243 ; at Fort Norman, engaged in translation, 249 ; 
Selkirk Diocese, 254 ; at Fort Yukon, 258 ; return of Mrs. 
Bompas, 260 ; at Forty Mile, 263 ; the miners, 264 ; separates 
two fighting Indians, 270 ; R. J. Bowen, 272 ; great change 
caused by the gold rush, 278 ; church transferred from Forty 
Mile to Klondyke, 283 ; attacked by scurvy, 285 ; Mrs. 
Bompas at Fort Yukon, 287 ; visits the towns on Lakes Ben- 
nett and Atlin, 287 ; leaves Forty Mile for Whitehorse, 289 ; 
death of Archbishop Machray, 295 ; attends the Synod at 
Winnipeg, 296 ; his desire for rest, 300 ; " Carcross," 304 ; 
new church consecrated at Carcross, 305 ; jealous for his office, 
306 ; Bishop Stringer appointed his successor, 309 ; his acti- 
vity, 314; preparations for leaving Carcross, 318; sudden 
death, 321 ; buried in the Indian cemetery, 322 ; his kind- 
ness of heart, 329 ; "the man who wrote the book," 330 ; as 
a student, 336 ; his great linguistic powers, 337 ; translations 
into Indian dialects, 337 ; his love of Hebrew and Syriac, 340 ; 
his love of verse, 346 

Bowen, Rev. R. J., 281 

" Burial," 36 1 

C 

Campbell, Robert, the explorer, 47 ; discovers the Pelly and 

Lewes Rivers, 47, 48 ; erects Fort Selkirk, 51 
Camping, Mr. Bompas's interesting description of, 72 
Canadian boatmen, the skill of, 128 

Canham, Rev. T. H., missionary to the Eskimos, 208, 230 
Carcross, the name Caribou Crossing changed to, 304 ; church 

consecrated at, 305 
Caribou Crossing, the Bishop's reception at, 294 ; the name 

changed to Carcross, 304 
Charge to his clergy at the first Synod, Bishop Bompas's, 182 

381 



INDEX 

Chilcats, the, a dangerous tribe, 51 
Circle City, 279 
Conjurers, 368 

Cox, Miss Charlotte Selina, married to Bishop Bompas, 153 ; her 
refinement and enthusiasm, 154 

D 

Dawson, mission-church erected at, 285 

" Diocese of Mackenzie River, The," by Bishop Bompas, 339 

Dogs and dog-teams, usefulness of, 69 

Doull, Rev. A. J., on Bishop Bompas's great work, 334< 

Duncan, Mr., of Metlakahtla, his objection to the confirmation 

of Indian Christians, 190 ; Bishop Bompas endeavours to 

smooth matters, 193 
Dunvegan, a mission-farm commenced at, 202, 217 

E 

Ellington, John W., 238, 248 

Eskimos, the, their habits and customs, 98 ; their treacherous 
character, 105 ; Mr. Bompas among the, 109 ; their ingenuity, 
113 ; religion, 114; plot to murder Mr. Bompas, 123; Bishop 
Stringer among the, 125 

Eskimo mission established, 208 

F 

Flies and mosquitoes, the annoyance of, 129 

Fond du Lac, on Lake Athabasca, visited by Mr. Bompas, 130 

Fort Chipewyan, Mr. Bompas at, 36, 65, 130, 217 

Fort McPherson, Mr. Bompas at, 108 

Fort Norman, Mr. Bompas at, 57, 6l ; the Bishop's illness during 

his journey to, 173 ; terrible journey to, 213 
Fort Pelly Banks, a fur-trading post, 48 
Fort Rae, Mr. Bompas at, 63 ; i-evisited by the Bishop, 1 70 
Fort Resolution, Mr. Bompas reaches, 38, 64 
Fort St. John, the scene of a fearful massacre in years past, 

Mr. Bompas preaches to the Indians, 133, 200 
Fort Selkirk established by Robert Campbell, 51 
Fort Simpson, arrival of Mr. Bompas at, 39 ; Rev. W. W, Kirkby 

382 



INDEX 

succeeds Archdeacon Hunter at, 55 ; excitement on the return 

of Bishop and Mrs. Bompas, l62 ; hunger at, l65 ; the centre 

of the diocese, l66 
Fort Vermihon, Mr. Bompas at, 66, 79, 1 30 ; mission-farm at, 

203, 217 
Fort Yukon established by A. H. Murray, 51 ; here the first 

missionary work carried on by Church Missionary Society, 52 ; 

Rev. Robert Campbell at, 57 ; Mrs. Bompas's long stay at, 

287 
Forty Mile, description of, 267 

G 

Galloway, Bishop, on Livingstone, 225 
Garrioch, Rev. Alfred, 180 

Great Bear Lake Indians, Mr. Bompas among the, 62 
Great Slave Lake, Mr. Bompas crosses on snowshoes, 38 ; 
mission, 181 

H 

Hay River, description of the, 133 

Hearne, Samuel, the " Mungo Park of Canada," 44 

" History of the Mackenzie River Diocese," by Bishop Bompas, 

330 
Holy Trinity, South Lincolnshire, Mr. Bompas's third curacy, 

30 
Hudson Bay Company, valuable work done by the, 42 ; union 

with the North-West Company, 47 ; establish steamers, 

204 
Hunter, Archdeacon, 54 

I 

Indians encountered on the prairie, 35 

Indians of the far North, different tribes, 90, 93 ; customs, 94 ; 

sickness among, 97 
Infanticide among the Indians, 367 

383 U 



INDEX 

K 

Ker, Archbishop, his sermon on the death of Archbishop 

Machray, 297 
Kirkby, Rev. W, W., receives Mr. Bompas at Fort Simpson, 39 ; 

at Fort Simpson, 54 ; his arduous journey to the Yukon region, 

55-56 
Kirkby, David N., 238 
Klondyke River, the, 277 

L 

Lake Atlin, the Bishop visits, 287 

Lake Bennett, the Bishop visits, 287 

Leith, Alexander, a generous donor to the bishopric of Rupert's 

Land, 43 
Lewes River, discovered by Robert Campbell, 48 
Liard River, missions on the, 209 
Loucheux Indians, encouraging work among the, J 39, 371 



M 

McDonald, Rev. Robert, Fort Yukon, whom Mr. Bompas volun- 
teered to relieve, 30 ; Archdeacon, 1 80 

Machray, Bishop, Mr. Bompas ordained priest by, 30 ; his plan 
for dividing the Diocese of Rupert's Land, 143 

Machray, Archbishop, death of, 295 

Mackenzie, Alexander, the explorer, 45 

Mackenzie River, description of the, 83; mission, 181 ; Diocese 
of, 226 

Manitoba, Cathedral of. Bishop Bompas assists in ordination, 
159 

Matheson, Archbishop, on Bishop Bompas's great work, 333 

Metlakahtla, Bishop Bompas's arduous journey there, 195 

Miners on the Peace River, 131 

Mission-farms started at Dunvegan and Smoky River, 202 

Missions in the North- West, results of, 365 

" Mock Suns," 352 

384 



INDEX 

N 
Naas River, lava plain on the, 200 
"Names," 355 
Natives of the far North, 90 
New Radford, near Nottingham, Mr. Bompas's second curacy, 

29 
" Northern Lights on the Bible," by Bishop Bompas, 339, 350 

O 
Owen, Rev. H., Mr. Bompas's first Rector, 25 

P 

Peace River Valley, Mr. Bompas sets out for, 126; mining on 

the Peace River, 130 
Peel River Fort, Mr. Bompas leaves the Eskimos at, 1 24 
Peel River Indians, the, 372 
Pelly River discovered by Robert Campbell, 48 

Q 

Quickpak River, the, 47 

R 

Red River as Mr. Bompas first saw it, 35 

Riel, Louis, and the North- West Rebellion, 233 

Rocky Mountain portage, Mr. Bompas at, 131 ; acts as public 

vaccinator, 131 
Ross, Mrs., death of, 1 32 

Rowe, Bishop, on the unselfish labours of Bishop Bompas, 334 
Rupert's Land, division of the Diocese of, 1 44 

S 
Schultz, Dr., assists Mr. Bompas to cross the plains, 34 
"Scripture Acrostics and Texts of the Bible Reversed and 

Transposed," by Bishop Bompas, 343 
" Scripture Analyzed ; or. Investigations in the Original Text of 

the Holy Bible," by Bishop Bompas, 344 
Selkirk, Diocese of, 238 

Sim, Rev. V, C, missionary to the Tukudh Indians, 229 

385 u a 



INDEX 

Smoky River, mission-farm started at, 203 

Snow- blindness, Mr. Bompas stricken with, 109 ; its nature, 109- 

110 
Snow-shoes, usefulness of, 7 1 
Stringer, Rev. I. O., succeeds Mr. Bowen at Whitehorse, 294- ; 

consecrated, 309 ; at Bishop Bompas's funeral, 325 
Sutton-in-the- Marsh, Mr. Bompas's first curacy, 25 
"Symmetry of Scripture, The," by Bishop Bompas, 342 

T 
Tenni tribe of the far North, the, 90 
Toft, Mrs., Mr. Bompas's valuable friend, 29 
Translation, the work of, 223 
Travelling by dog-sledge, 66 ; by boats, 127 
Tukudh Indians, the, 93 
Tukudh Mission, the, 181 ; visited, 207, 218 

U 
Upper Yukon River Indians, work among the, 140 

V 

Vaccination among the Indians : Mr. Bompas acts as public 
vaccinator, 132 

W 

West, Rev. John, the first Church of England clergyman to enter 
the North-West, 43 

Whitehorse, the Bishop leaves Forty Mile for, 289 

Winnipeg, the Bishop attends the synod at, to appoint Arch- 
bishop Machray's successor, 296 

Y 

Yukon region. Rev. W. W. Kirkby in the, 56 

Yukon River, the, 86; work on, 140 ; description of, 141 

THE END 



BILLING AND SONS, LTD., PRINTERS, GUILDFORD 



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